


Azsuna Awaits

by ShadowPhoenixRider



Series: Walk on the Wild Side [20]
Category: World of Warcraft
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Death, F/M, Fluff, Innuendo, Interrupted Shenanigans, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Playful Sassing, Teasing, World Building sort of, World of Warcraft: Legion Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-26
Updated: 2018-12-01
Packaged: 2019-03-09 18:34:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 24,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13487304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowPhoenixRider/pseuds/ShadowPhoenixRider
Summary: Archmage Khadgar requests Draggka to come with him on an expedition to Azsuna, in a bid to find another Pillar of Creation. Knowing how Khadgar's expeditions usually go, it's bound to not go according to plan...





	1. Chapter 1

Draggka thought she would have gotten used to Khadgar’s servant popping up to speak with her, but every time she felt the magic prickle her fur, she couldn’t stop that slick of unease sliding down her spine. She’d always found elementals a little eerie, since most of them had pits where eyes should be, though some had glowing lights instead. That and their monotone way of talking was a little unsettling.

That all said, she turned to look at the shimmering pink creature, its form rippling and vacillating as it stared at her blankly. Spike’s tense posture was a mirror of her own, as if he couldn’t decide whether he should snap or bite the ethereal creature.

_The archmage requests your presence on Krasus’s landing._ Its ‘voice’ sounded out in her head. _The matter is urgent, and you may be unable to return for a time._

The hunter had heard enough of these coded requests to know what Khadgar was really telling her: ‘I’ve found the location of another Pillar, please come now, and we may be some time’. She wasn’t sure if this secrecy as really necessary, but the troll figured that the archmage’s encounter with the fake Medivh in Karazhan had made him understandably wary. 

“I be on da way,” she said, striding past the elemental without waiting for a response, Spike quickly falling into step beside her.

Dalaran’s streets were thrumming again with people of all races and both factions, and whilst the mood seemed fairly calm, there was a definite tension in the air, especially close to the entrances of the Horde and Alliance districts. Apparently fights were occasionally erupting in the Underbelly if the guards turned their backs for long enough. Draggka hoped it wouldn’t spill out into the streets; the guards surface-side were strict about enforcing the no fighting rule back when Dalaran floated uncomfortably close to Icecrown, so there was no doubt they would take an equally dim view of it now.

The archmage was waiting for her on the landing, along with her wyvern Fang, all harnessed up and ready to go, the beast leaning in to the scratches the mage was giving him behind his ear. Khadgar’s eyes brightened as he caught sight of her, and he waved her over.

“There you are! Over here, Draggka!” Khadgar’s smile made his eyes shine, crinkles appearing in the corners. 

“Ya be makin’ friends wit Fang, I see.” The troll commented, the wyvern affectionately headbutting the hand she reached out to him, purring loudly. Fang then turned his attention to Spike, both creatures nudging each other in greeting, and rumbling happily at each other.

“Well, it’s conventional wisdom to befriend a hunter’s animal companions as well as the hunter, so I figured I’d try my luck with wyvern. Fang, is it?” Khadgar grinned. “Mei allowed me to take him out with a couple of warnings about being stung or bitten, but he has been nothing but friendly to me.” He tilted his head thoughtfully. “I must say, he seems bigger than most wyverns.”

“Dat be because he is.” Draggka nodded, scratching the winged feline under the chin and absently checking the harness with her other hand. “Fang be a tauren-sized wyvern, bred to support dere weight, but da Horde also be using dem to carry tings. Like a hunter’s partner.” 

“I see.” The intrigue was bright in Khadgar’s eyes, and she couldn’t resist a smile to see it. “Much like the Gilneans breed their gryphons for cargo and construction. How fascinating. And I suppose some wyverns are bred to increase the potency of the venom?” He asked, leaning back a bit as Fang’s tail lifted in response to his petting.

“Of course.” Draggka grinned. “Though dere be some demand fer pet wyverns now, wit little sting an’ more fluff.”

“There is?” The mage’s eyebrows shot up his forehead, before he shook his head quickly. “Ah, don’t get me started, we’ll be here all day. Alas, I didn’t call on you to discuss the selective breeding of wyverns, as much as I’d prefer to spend my time thus.” He smiled apologetically, the light in his eyes dimming slightly.

“Are you up for a little trip down to the Broken Isles?” He asked. “I have uncovered information concerning one of the Pillars of Creation. Our search will begin on the ancient elven island of Azsuna, just northwest of here. Long ago, it was where the Highborne elves of Suramar perfected their mightiest of magics. Now it is a cursed ruins, and no-one knows why.” 

“The Illidari have established a camp there, and as they are the only people we know in the area, that is where we will begin.”

Draggka raised an eyebrow.

“Ya coming wit us?” She asked.

“Of course.” The mage grinned. “I didn’t follow you to Highmountain, as I figured the tauren there had been looking for you, not me. And, well, I am a human, after all.”

“And I be a troll.” The hunter pointed out, gesturing for Fang to crouch, letting Spike climb gingerly onto his back. “Dey been isolated from all da Alliance an’ Horde wars, remember. Though dey be of da same kin, dey not hold da same grudges.”

“That’s…a good point, actually.” Khadgar frowned, stroking his chin. “I hadn’t thought of it that way. Well, they did indeed come to Dalaran to look for _you_ , and I doubt they would have appreciated me tagging along.” He flashed the troll a smile. “This time, however, I will join you for this expedition.”

“Ya sure ya not be needed up here? It be dangerous down dere.” She warned him, strapping Spike securely into the harness, the raptor wriggling to test its hold.

The archmage waved a dismissive hand.

“The other Council members will do fine without me. Besides, just because I happen to be in charge doesn’t mean I can’t go out on adventures. Modera and Kalec are definitely going out in the field with the Tirisgarde’s Conjurer, so I can’t see why I can’t go out with the Huntmaster.”

Draggka rolled her eyes.

“Alright. Jus’…try not to be blowing up any dams dis time!” She said, giving the mage a pointed look.

“That was an entirely necessary action!” Khadgar retorted. “I just…didn’t get out of the way in time.” One of the troll’s eyebrows arched, and Spike lifted his head to give the wizard an unimpressed look. “As for you, Huntmaster, can we not make me think that you’ve been blown to smithereens onboard a warship, please? I’m lucky my hair is already grey!”

“It were fine. I were only lightly burned.” Draggka replied, lifting a shoulder. At the mage’s stare, she added: “Hey, I be used to it. I be learning engineering from goblins.”

“That did the opposite of reassuring me, actually.” Khadgar muttered. He dismissed it with a quick shake of his head. “Anyway. Ready to take wing?”

Draggka slung her leg over the wyvern, and Fang purred deeply, lifting his body off the ground just enough to look like he was ready to pounce. The wing membrane on the creature’s arms twitched, opening slightly.

“I be ready. Let’s be getting going, Khadgar.” She nodded.

The wizard gave a quick nod before he turned to face the open sky, magic starting to cascade down Atiesh and spread across his body. It was a man who spread his arms wide, and gathered his feet to jump into the air, but it was a raven who brought his wings down, tail flared wide to gather lift. Fang sprang into the air to follow the corvid as best as the laden wyvern could, the troll’s stomach dipping and her heart lifting as Fang’s powerful wingbeats propelled them into the sky.

The raven immediately banked left, and Fang followed, catching a breeze under his large wings to remind the hunter of her beast’s more romantic name; wind rider. Watching the bird ahead of them, Draggka noted that she found it strange to reconcile the fact that this avian was also her human lover. With that thought, however, Khadgar was just as elegant clad all in feathers as he was in robes, and the way he twitched and shifted his wings to glide along the currents as easily as if he’d been a bird all his life. She wondered if it was part of his magic, or whether he’d had to learn to fly as any fledgling would.

“Ya not riding?” She asked, raising her voice to carry to him as they descended past the floating city, being careful to avoid the outflow pipes jutting from the rocky foundations. 

“I prefer using the greatstaff Atiesh’s raven form.” Khadgar replied, the deep croak of a raven in the cadence of his voice. “Nothing’s worse than saddle sores.”

Despite herself, Draggka barked out a laugh; there was something to the annoyance in his tone that amused her.

“Hey, it’s not funny!” Khadgar cawed indignantly. “I wasn’t used to the long rides a military campaign entailed! It really hurt after a while.”

“Yeah, I tink ya maybe need more practise an’ a better saddle.” She grinned at the glare he gave her. “But dat be jus’ my opinion.”

“Easy for you to say. I bet your people barely get sores, with how quickly you heal.” Khadgar grumbled.

“Someting like dat.” She nodded. Saddle sores had definitely been a thing when Draggka had began riding her first raptor, but a combination of her regeneration, time, and several saddle variations had completely eliminated the problem for her now. 

“Hmph.” Khadgar huffed through his beak, continuing to lead them down towards the western-most side of the Broken Isles. 

It was much more coastal than Highmountain, with weathered slate grey rocks covered in green grass, and plenty of wind-battered trees clinging to their perches. As they flew down, closing in to a narrow strait with an old yet elegantly constructed bridge crossing it, Draggka noticed that the waters were shifting strangely, like a overly large shoal of fish or cluster of sea creatures were swimming just under the surface. It didn’t look right, and she called to her companion:

“Khadgar, look down dere, to our right, dere be someting-” 

Just as the raven tilted his head, the creatures revealed themselves, rising from the depths like kvaldir from their watery graves.

“Naga!” He declared grimly. “And in force too, by the look of those bruisers.” He gestured to enormous scaly monsters lumbering out of the waves alongside their serpentine kin. They looked like the naga equivalent of a dire troll, with their bulk and stubby tails, equipment fastened to their backs with waterlogged nets dotted with barnacles.

“We have competition from Queen Azshara herself, it seems.” Khadgar continued. “She must be after the Pillar of Creation. This is unexpected, and deeply concerning.”

“De naga be mostly quiet since da Cataclysm, afta Neptulon escaped dem.” Draggka said. “Why dey be returning now?”

“Azshara did ally with Sargeras once before. She may be trying to bargain again. Whatever her plan, we must find the Pillar before she does. I can think of few worse people to have such an artifact in their possession.” The avian archmage spoke as they flew over an expanse of tide flats, which were starting to fill with naga. Already there were pockets of tents and basic fortifications as they made their mark on the land. Fortunately, they didn’t seem to see or pay much mind to the wyvern and bird flying above their heads, allowing them to fly unmolested further inland with the sea.

The tide flats opened out into what appeared to be a giant lake, a large, rounded building sitting in the middle of it, of similar construction to the bridge they’d seen earlier. It was connected by bridges to other buildings on the shoreline, once elegant but now crumbling with time and the relentless hammering of the sea. All colour of the stone had been washed out, replaced by a dull greyish blue, or green where algae had begun to grow. Sharp curved architectural flares were worn smooth, and vegetation had begun to overtake any structures far enough from the sandy beaches for roots to dig in. If not for the elements, however, they seemed to show no great signs of damage; remove the impact of time, and the troll was certain that the buildings would look as they were in the past. Only empty and devoid of life. Ghostly, even.

“Breathtaking…” Khadgar murmured, wings outstretched in a glide as he drank their surroundings in. “Imagine all of the arcane knowledge lost to the ages here. It would take a life-time to uncover it all.”

Draggka grinned knowingly. 

“Ah, so dat’s why ya be wanting to come. Ya just wanna dig in de old elf books.”

“No!” The mage replied, too quickly. “I-I want to find the Pillar of Creation first, and deal with the Legion, of course! But, ah, maybe afterwards, I might peruse a few buildings. T-To see if anything survived.” He glanced back at the hunter, trying not to look guilty, and failing tremendously. 

“Uh huh.” Draggka chuckled. “Shoulda known.” She smiled warmly at her lover, and she was sure that if he were able to, he’d probably have blushed. Instead, he just glanced away, some feathers fluffing up around his head briefly.

They continued on, moving inland, and as they did, the all-too familiar fel-green, angular Legion structures appeared on the horizon, and the glimpses of blackened, dead vegetation. Draggka felt Fang tense between her legs, a low growl escaping the wyvern. The troll instinctively lowered her body, tightening her grip on the reins; though the Legion seemed far off, she didn’t want to assume anything, nor attract any attention.

“There, the Illidari.” Khadgar suddenly spoke, making her jump. She hadn’t noticed that he’d fallen back to flying alongside her. The hunter looked in the direction of his tilted beak to a cluster of ruined buildings, populated by tents and the still unfamiliar banners of the Illidari. The elven warriors were forming up behind makeshift barriers they’d made on the front lines of their camp, across the shallows from the land where the Legion was based. The demons would attack in steady stream across the sand, the demon hunters dashing out to cut them down before retreating back behind their barriers. At least, that’s what most did, whilst others got bogged down in a melee they managed to win, or they were overwhelmed, or were flanked, and were cut down. Corpses of both sides littered the sands, and the water couldn’t seem to decide what colour it was going to turn.

“They’re holding the line against the Burning Legion, but just barely.” The archmage spoke, leading Draggka to land a little ways back from the Illidari camp. The raven hopped once before returning to human form, shaking some loose feathers off his shoulders. Draggka slid off Fang’s back, releasing Spike from the harness before strapping it to lie flat against the wyvern’s back. With a scratch under the beast’s chin and a soft kiss to his head, she encouraged the wyvern to fly off and leave them; a risky move to be sure, but she couldn’t depend on the Illidari taking care of Fang in the middle of a warzone. Besides, she did have a mage with her.

Said mage flashed her a grin that made her heart skip.

“Come, my dear, let’s put Thas’dorah to use.” He briefly glanced to her side. “And I’m sure Spike wouldn’t mind a snack, no?”

The raptor gnashed his teeth, baring them in a grin, whilst Draggka rolled her eyes.

“He don’t eat demons,” she said, taking her bow from her back and ignoring the look her scaly companion gave her. “Da Fel not be someting to eat.”

“Of course.” Khadgar nodded. “Though I’m sure I’ve seen an imp or two disappear into a mouth full of sharp, pointy teeth.” A silver eyebrow arched elegantly up the wizard’s face, and for a sudden moment, Draggka just wanted to plant a kiss on him. She resisted the urge, however, wondering how on Azeroth she had an attraction to human archmagi. The Loa must be having a laugh at her expense.

“I don’t know what you be talking about,” she said instead, raising her own eyebrow at him.

“Mmhmm.” Khadgar grinned a moment, before leading her down into the camp at a brisk jog. The guards tensed for a moment, but relaxed quickly, calling out to their comrades in a mixture of elven tongues that friends were approaching, referring to Khadgar by name.

“I will stay here and figure out our next move whilst you crush the Legion.” The mage said, glancing through the Illidari to find their commander. “It would be good to fight at your side again, but my magic would draw too much unwanted attention, and possibly alert the Legion to a great prize in the area. Or make it more urgent for them to claim it. So, alas, you will be on your own for this, I’m afraid.”

“As usual.” Draggka replied, sighing dramatically. “It be fine. I be used to being one of ya many heroes dat ya get to do all ya hard work.”

Khadgar gasped in an equally dramatic fashion, eyes wide with offence, resting a hand over his chest.

“How could you say such things? I work so hard, coming up with plans, and supervising you! You don’t understand the complexity, the thought involved-”

“Uh huh. Sure. It be so hard to be telling someone to kill demons.” The hunter grinned widely. The archmage gave her a look that basically said: ‘there are a few choice things I’d like to do to you the next time we’re alone’.

Instead, he huffed loudly, gathering himself up to his full height and all but flouncing off.

“Next time, I’m going to ask Camdyn to come out on an expedition with me. She at least appreciates what I do.” He commented over his shoulder.

“She does? Are ya sure she not be just tolerating ya? Last time I be seeing her wit ya, she be looking like she were gonna see how far her hammer could send ya flying.” Draggka pointed out, jogging to catch up with him.

“I’m not listening to you, Huntmaster.” Khadgar talked over her. “The Highlord is a very good woman I have not upset at all, and she would appreciate my company. Unlike some trolls who will remain nameless.” Despite the act, he glanced at her to make sure she was still playing along, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips to match the one sparkling in his eyes.

“Wow. Ya so mean.” Draggka replied, trying for ‘hurt’, and failing completely. “Are all da Kirin Tor like dis?”

“In the old days, yes. Hopefully less so now.” Khadgar sobered suddenly, just in time for him to approach a blood elf Illidari supervising the front lines. “Kayn Sunfury, I presume?”

The black haired demon hunter glanced over them (or, at least, his head turned towards them, considering his blindfold). “Archmage Khadgar? Huntmaster? An unexpected surprise, and a welcome sight.” He nodded to the beach. “We pushed the demons out of the ruins, but they are stronger than any we have encountered before. Your help pushing them back is appreciated. If we don’t crush this invasion now, they will overrun Azsuna, and then the rest of the Broken Isles.”

“Agreed.” Khadgar nodded. “Whilst I unfortunately cannot aid you on the frontlines, the Huntmaster here can definitely assist you in shedding felblood.”

Draggka nodded, glancing over to the battlefield, and noting the lay of the water and sand dunes, Spike uttering a restless rumble.

“I be ready. If ya need me to do anyting out dere aside from killin’ demons, let me know.”

Kayn dipped his head slightly, due to the large curved horns on his head.

“When you’re out there, see if you can’t reactivate the sentry wards we set up on the outer defences. They’ll help keep the demons at bay. And I sent a team to scout the island opposite, who haven’t come back. Find them if you can; I have a suspicion something is going on here. Their leaders were Kor’vas Bloodthorn and Cyana Nightglaive; you’ll know them when you see them.” Kayn said, staring at Draggka with his glowing ‘eyes’.

“Alright.” Draggka bowed her head in an affirmative, not letting her unease about his stare show. “I be back soon.”

“Good hunting, Huntmaster.” Khadgar smiled, his blue eyes glimmering. “Give them hell.”

“Oh, I tink I can be doing dat.” The hunter grinned back, nocking an arrow to her bow and glancing to Spike. “Shall we?”

The raptor gave an eager roar, and they set off into the fray.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took forever; real life and general malaise kicked me in the shins and slowed me down. Hopefully I can get the rest of this out a little more quickly in the future.

Kayn hadn’t been kidding about the demons spilling out of Faronaar; they were tougher than Draggka had expected, and she could understand why the Illidari were struggling against them. They shrugged off arrows that usually gave them pause, and even Spike’s rending talons didn’t seem to be as damaging as they usually were. As a result, she decided to lay low as best she could, taking out demons on their own in ambushes, struck from afar by Thas’dorah’s astonishing aim directly at their head or spinal cord. Not even the toughest of demons could withstand that, especially when a raptor was involved.

It wasn’t long before they found Kor’vas, hunkered down in the centre of a pile of demon corpses, and after an understandable initial wariness, the demon hunter revealed she was the sole survivor of her team, the others captured by the Legion. The two women joined forces to free Kor’vas’s fellows, and in doing so, they found another of the Legion’s prisoners; a beautiful blue dragon encased in fel-chains that were sealed with locks even a demon hunter’s blade couldn’t break. Draggka needed no convincing that they needed to break the creature out.

“Here be da last of dem!” The troll called over her shoulder as she came across a captured demon hunter, suspended in the wispy tendrils of a fel crystal. She thought she could see them dragging away at the elf’s soul, and her fur crawled at the thought.

It only took a single strike from Kor’vas’s glaive to shatter the crystal, however, and its prisoner tumbled to the floor, panting hard. Kor’vas grabbed his shoulder, both hauling the blood elf to his feet and jarring him into wakefulness.

“Solaen! Cyana Nightglaive, where did she go? I need to find her!” She demanded. 

Solaen groaned, rubbing his forehead and brushing back his long red hair from his burning green eyes, the sockets left uncovered. His face seemed familiar, but Draggka was sure she’d never seen the elf before.

“Cyana…She went off with a warden. A corrupted one - Cordana Felsong, I think she was called. They headed…southwest, I think. To, into the mountains.” He gestured feebly in the vague direction.

Draggka’s blood ran cold. _Cordana, here?_ Spike growled deeply, his lips curling at the sound of the ex-warden’s name.

“A warden working for the Legion?” Kor’vas sneered. “I look forward to killing her.” She glanced over her comrade. “Can you make it back to camp?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll be fine.” Solaen waved her off, climbing to his feet and stumbling off, demon wings unfurling from his back to balance himself. He disappeared into the darken bracken and dead foliage that still stubbornly clung onto the blackened ground.

“I’ve always had my doubts about Cyana.” Kor’vas spoke to Draggka now. “Something was never quite right there. Looks like she cracked and joined the Legion. I will not suffer a traitor to live, and I certainly won’t allow this Cordana Felsong to get away with turning my people.” 

“No.” Draggka agreed numbly.

“But first, we need to free that blue dragon. Come on.” The demon hunter gestured for them to move on, the hunter nodding and following closely behind her.

“Know anything about this Cordana?” The demon hunter asked, after a moment. “Your beast sure seemed to.”

“Cordana used to be friend to me.” Draggka replied, frowning. “Not…in da full sense, but we be working together to stop dat invasion of orcs ya might be hearing of. Da Iron Horde. But Gul’dan got her, twisting her to da Legion. She disappeared when we found out, until now.” She glanced at the elf warily.

“Not much of a warden if she fell to the Legion so easily.” Kor’vas snorted.

“Everyone has dere weak spots. Gul’dan be using her doubts against her.” Draggka replied, prickling at the comment. “An’ I seen da damage it can be doing. Do not be writing her off. She not be someone da Legion should have.”

Kor’vas didn’t reply to that, and they continued silently on to where the blue drake was imprisoned, still snorting and baring their teeth at the demons guarding the creature. The guards seemed completely unbothered at the display, even sneering at the dragon, safe in the knowledge their captive was unable to escape.

This arrogance was what the two women took full advantage of.

Draggka struck first, loosing a carefully considered arrow to send one demon gurgling to the floor, before a volley thudded into the others, catching them all by surprise. As they gathered to seek out their distant attacker (already on the move), Kor’vas swept down at their flanks whilst Spike charged their backs, swiftly cutting down weaker demons and putting many on the back foot. Draggka helped put the rest down in short order, and she noted the dragon was watching them with wary interest, though their lips curled in delight in their captors being felled.

“You will soon be free, drake.” Kor’vas said gently, leaping up to unlock the first lock as Draggka and Spike watched their backs. The ethereal chains made a soft hiss as the lock released, and the dragon sighed in relief.

“Thank you, friends.” The drake’s voice was feminine and low, but soft and kind. “I am Stellagosa.”

“Kor’vas Bloodthorn.” The demon hunter spoke, hopping over to the next lock. 

“I be Draggka, of da Darkspear tribe.” The troll bowed her head. “And dis be Spike.” The raptor copied his companion’s motion, uttering a soft, appreciative huff.

It didn’t take much longer for the rest of the chains to be unlocked, and Stellagosa rumbled deeply, stretching her wings and body out from the unnatural crouch she’d been forced into. 

“My thanks for your rescue,” she said, the light blue runes over her dark blue scales brightening as her strength returned. “Now I am going to finish off the warden who did this to me.”

“Stellagosa, wait!” Kor’vas cried, but the drake had already taken flight. “No, come back! Damn!” She looked back to Draggka. “She’s heading for the overlook; I’ll try to catch her on the way. Meet us up there!” Without waiting for the troll’s response, the demon hunter leapt away, bat-like wings unfurling to help carry her high up to the cliffs above.

Draggka snorted dismissively.

“Show off.” She muttered. “Come on, Spike.”

A couple of infernals guarded the path up to the overlook, and though they were known for their destructive capabilities, their skills at observation were lacking, and the pair easily picked their way past them. As they reached the summit of the hill, they were greeted by the sight of a demon hunter kneeling in front of a large Legion communicator, an image shimmering in eerie translucent green above it. The image was of a heavily armoured Warden, but perverted and twisted by Fel energies, stained black with glowing green lines, and the helmet now brandishing curved, vicious horns. Draggka’s stomach turned and her heart sank as she realized that the captured demon hunter’s testimony was true. _What have they done to her?_

It was the voice that extinguished any lingering doubt.

“Ah, Draggka.” Cordana’s voice came from the image exactly as the troll remembered her from Draenor, although the tone was much more mocking. “We’ve been expecting you.” The eyes of her helmet now glowed a baleful green as they bored into the hunter, Spike uttering a deep, low growl. “It’s been a long time since we last saw each other. How is Khadgar?”

Spike snarled, baring his teeth, and Draggka felt her hackles prickle with the anger that surged through her. _How dare she!_ The ex-warden had taunted her this way before, however, so the troll fought to keep her temper in check.

“He be doin’ just fine, tanks.” She growled through clenched teeth. “Not dat ya have da right to be askin’ dat question any more.”

Any expression on Cordana’s face was masked by her helmet, though Draggka suspected that there was a smirk on her features.

“As blindly loyal as ever,” she said. “No matter.” She turned her head to the kneeling elf. “Felsworn Nightglaive. Prove yourself. I have other matters to attend to.” Cyana bowed her head as Cordana’s image faded, rising to her feet.

“Yes, my mistress.” Draggka nocked an arrow as Cyana’s hands went for her glaives, backing up rapidly to put as much distance between her and those blades as possible.

As she did, the hunter heard the sound of heavy wing-beats, along with a loud cry:

“Cyana!” Kor’vas yelled from her perch on Stellagosa’s back. “Do not give in!”

Nightglaive’s lips twisted into a manic smile as she advanced on Draggka, despite Spike’s warning growl. “I am more powerful than all of you!”

“You are nothing but a coward.” Stellagosa snorted, as Kor’vas leapt down, landing in front of Cyana. 

“If only you knew the Legion’s power.” Cyana said, fel magic crawling over her skin. “Join us, Kor’vas!”

“Never! You and your ‘mistress’ will die by my glaives!” Kor’vas shrieked, charging straight at the other elf, their blades clashing with a loud screeching squeal.

The two demon hunters fought viciously, their glaives meeting again and again, like two cats locked in a melee. Spike harried Cyana, tormenting her by lunging at her exposed back with snapping teeth, and uttering mocking barks and screams in a bid to make her lash out at him. If she did, the raptor would deftly hop away, and Kor’vas would strike at Cyana’s lowered guard. Ignoring Spike’s taunts was not an option for her either, as Spike would kick out with his talons, tearing gashes into her back and sides whilst throwing in a mocking hiss to salt the wound. Stellagosa hovered above the fight, watching for trouble and occasionally belching a ball of ice Cyana’s way. The traitor demon hunter would have to dodge these to prevent getting chilled or frozen to the spot, unable to retaliate due to the two-pronged attack harassing her already. 

With Draggka left completely unchallenged, the troll took her time to watch and wait for the perfect moment; an opening in the tangle of bodies. And when it came, she loosed an arrow with deadly accuracy into Cyana’s exposed flank, piercing between her ribs. She howled with pain, unable to dodge Spike’s lunge, his jaws sinking deep in her thigh. She only just blocked Kor’vas’s slashes, her grip shaking as pain and weakness set in.

“No!” Cyana wailed, her breath rattling. “This cannot be! I was promised-”

She was cut off by Stellagosa’s icy blast to her back, breaking her guard long enough for Kor’vas to decapitate her in one smooth blow. Draggka could only imagine the look on the elf’s face; the shock and blood-curdling horror that the Legion had lied about its power being insurmountable. No-one ever seemed to learn to take the promises with a pinch of salt, though it was probably for the best.

“Draggka.” Kor’vas spoke, dismissing the headless corpse as if as if it had been little more than a gnat’s fart. “Let’s get out of here before more demons show up.”

“I can take you to safety.” Stellagosa spoke as she landed, crouching down to let them climb onto her back, Draggka looping an arm around Spike to hold him steady. As the dragon took to the sky, Kor’vas began to speaking about something or other, but Draggka had turned her gaze inwards, tuning her out. 

Cordana was here. She was here and seeking to corrupt people, or at least advance the Legion’s agenda in Azsuna. And she mentioned Khadgar…

A chill crept over her fur. Cordana’s jab was just that, right? Similar to how she got under the troll’s skin before? She couldn’t know that Khadgar was really here. _Right?_ The hunter tried to swallow her building fear, even as Spike sensed it, rumbling softly and nuzzling her face. 

Stellagosa glided lazily down towards the Illidari camp, and it didn’t take long for the sentries perched on the ruined Highborne buildings to spot them. They called out to their fellows below, who seemed more curious than alarmed as the drake made her way down to the clearing in the middle of the camp. And so, to Draggka’s immense relief, was a familiar human mage, a broad grin across his face.

“Kayn sends you out to kill demons and find some of his Illidari, and you come back on the back of a dragon!” Khadgar called up to her, blue eyes twinkling with laughter. “I’m starting to feel slightly outclassed, here!”

“Gonna need to up ya game, Archmage.” She replied, grinning back at him, though she knew it didn’t reach her eyes. Kor’vas hopped off Stellagosa first to update Kayn, whilst Draggka waited until she crouched low enough to let the troll and her raptor slip off safely, whispering a ‘tank you’ to Stellagosa as they did.

“Interesting that there is a member of the blue dragonflight here.” Khadgar commented as the hunter walked over to him. “I remember Kalec saying he disbanded the flight, but I didn’t expect-”

“Khadgar.” Draggka interrupted him, resting a hand on his arm. “Cordana be here.”

The archmage froze, his face going pale and his good humour evaporating in an instant.

“You…You’re sure?” He asked, his voice very soft, and very hollow.

“I be sure.” She nodded, her heart cringing at his expression. Khadgar just looked at her a moment, before taking the hunter aside, away from the demon hunters.

“Tell me everything that happened,” he said lowly, holding her arm almost insistently, like he was afraid she’d suddenly leave or disappear.

“Kayn be right; dose demons be stronger den dose I fought before.” Draggka began. “Dunno why, didn’t get to de bottom of it. Da hunters been caught, an’ Cordana be da one torturing and temptin’ dem wit offers of power. She turned one of dem, who we be killing, an’ we managed to save de others. I dunno if she be tryin’ to turn Stellagosa as well. She just seemed to be locked up an’ left.” 

“But Khadgar; Cordana be talkin’ to dat turned demon hunter through a commi-, comu-, -magic ting - she not actually be dere in person. She be somewhere else in Azsuna.”

Khadgar said nothing for a long moment. His skin was still pale, and his gaze stared hauntingly into the middle distance, though she could tell he was chewing over the information she’d just given him.

“She’s here for me.” He murmured, almost too quietly for Draggka to hear.

“I don’t tink she is.” The hunter said, sliding her hand on top of the one he had on her arm. She frowned slightly, recalling the ex-warden’s earlier taunt. “She be tauntin’ me about ya, but I don’t tink she knows dat you be here wit me.” _Hopefully I didn’t overreact and give it away. If she figures that he’s here with me, he’s in real danger.  
_

Khadgar sighed, closing his eyes.

“How…how does she look? Is she…?”

“Bad.” Draggka squeezed his hand. “She been infested wit da Fel. Twisted. I tink she be beyond us now.”

The mage’s expression contorted with pain, his head bowing. Draggka was grateful for his earlier caution in pulling her away from the group as she stepped closer to him, pulling his hand close to her chest, over her heart. Spike also pressed himself against Khadgar’s legs, uttering a warbling rumble in sympathy.

“This is all my fault.” Khadgar said, his voice wavering and heavy. “I should have talked to her, I should have just destroyed that cursed orb myself, I should have, have-”

“Hey hey, ya weren’t to know what be happening next.” Draggka replied, cupping his cheek as she saw tears squeezing out from the corner of his eyes. ”She be keeping to herself a lot of da time, and ya trusted her to be gettin’ rid of it. And I bet she woulda done it too! It…it just be bad luck. Gul’dan knew what to say to get her. Other events took ya away at da wrong time. Nothing ya coulda done.”

“You’re good to say that, but…” He shook his head, sniffing. “I should have done better. For her. For you.” He opened his over-bright eyes, guilt and regret shining in his tears.

“It be in da past now.” Draggka said softly. “What matters be what we be living through now. Dealing wit what she become, by force, or otherwise.”

The archmage blew out a long sigh through his mouth, shoulders slumping.

“…You’re right. We can’t wallow in ‘what ifs’ and ‘what might have been’, not right now.” He paused a moment. “At least there was one thing I finally got right.”

“What would dat be?”

“You.” Khadgar smiled, one that was aching sweet and warm, and that lit up his eyes with something that wasn’t sadness. He lifted a hand to the one on his cheek, squeezing it affectionately, and Draggka couldn’t help but smile back, her heart skipping a beat. “Despite all my mistakes, I still have you.” He squeezed her hand once more, before taking it down from his face, wiping his tears away with his other hand. 

“Well. If Cordana is here, then things have gotten a lot more tricky, not to mention dangerous. I would think it would be wise for us to stay together where possible. Or, at least, not leave each other alone without capable guardians. Like your trusted companion here.” He nodded to Spike, the raptor snorting softly.

“Yeah.” Draggka nodded. “Though ya could go back to Dalaran, if ya need to.”

“And leave my Huntmaster on her own?” Khadgar feigned shock. “As if I would turn my back on her after being thoroughly… _reminded_ of how much better it is if we stick together.” He winked at her, and the troll rolled her eyes.

“Ya be insufferable.” She sighed, but a smile pulled at her lips despite herself. _At some point wisdom trumps honour, though. Especially since he’s in charge of Dalaran now._

Khadgar chuckled, before he turned to stride back into the main area of the Illidari camp. Draggka jogged to catch up with him, and they resumed their platonic façade.

“With the help you’ve given the Illidari, I think they can hold the line against the Legion, at least for now. We can drive them from the upper reaches of Faronaar later, as you and I must continue to concentrate on the Pillars of Creation. The Illidari unfortunately haven’t any more information, but I wonder if the dragon you rescued might know.”

Stellagosa turned her large head to them as they approached, bright golden eyes watching them curiously.

“Hello Draggka. I was resting a moment before returning home.“ She cocked her head to one side. “Who is this?”

“Dis be my friend, Archmage Khadgar.” Draggka smiled. “Khadgar, dis be Stellagosa.”

Khadgar bowed.

“A pleasure to meet one of the blue dragonflight,” he said, smiling warmly.

“It is good to meet you too.” Stellagosa replied, dipping her own head respectively, though Draggka could see the interest in her eyes as clear as day.

“Tell me, Stellagosa, do you know of a Pillar of Creation in these lands?” Khadgar asked. “Or maybe you know one of your number who does?”

The dragon frowned a moment, settling back on her haunches.

“Hmm. I don’t know of anything like that…But I’m sure my grandfather Senegos would!”

“May we speak to him?” Khadgar asked. “It’s important that we find it, if it is here. It might be the only way to stem this invasion of demons.”

“You can, I trust you.” The dragon replied. “He’ll be in Azurewing Repose, just to the north-east.” She gestured with her head. “I’ll go ahead and tell him and the others that you’re coming.”

“Thank you.” Khadgar smiled. “We will join you momentarily.”

With that, Stellagosa spread her wings, and took off for her home, quickly disappearing out of sight.

“How fortuitous.” Khadgar spoke. “Your saving of Stellagosa has given us a new lead to pursue. Come, let’s be off.” He gestured for Draggka to follow him as he made his way up the path out of the Illidari camp, the guards nodding as they passed. “Though I suppose we could move faster if I were on the wing and you on the back of one of your raptors, but with Cordana now becoming a factor, I feel splitting up would be…unwise.”

“Dat be what I were tinkin’ too.” Draggka nodded, falling easily into step with him. “‘Sides, I don’t tink I be havin’ mounts dat you can be ridin’ on.”

“Yes. I am fairly certain that any attempt I make to ride your Venomhide raptor will end rather badly.” He commented dryly. 

“True.” Draggka nodded. “But she be a ravasaur. Not a raptor.”

The mage blinked at her.

“There’s a difference?” Spike gave him a dirty look, seeming almost offended.

“Yeah, dere’s a difference.” Draggka reached out to pet her raptor, soothing him. “Ravasaurs be bigger den raptors, an’ more wild. Dey tend to hunt alone, whilst raptors can be hunting in packs. An’ whilst ya can befriend ravasaurs, de only way to be havin’ one allow ya on dere back is if ya raise dem from de egg. Even den dey still be wild.” She explained. “Dey not be as smart as smart as raptors, but dey still smart enough dat ya need to watch yaself.”

“Ah, I see.” Khadgar hummed, eyes bright with hunger. “That would explain why your ravasaur looks at me as if she wants to eat me.”

“She does.” The troll nodded. “She don’t because I don’t give her da opportunity.”

“That’s very reassuring, dear.” He replied flatly. “It’s good to know I haven’t been devoured by one of your companions because you manage to stop her from doing so.”

“Ya say dat as if I knew I were gonna be fallin’ for a human wit more mana den some.” She replied, folding her arms.

“I think my praise might have gone to your head, Huntmaster.” Khadgar commented, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

“Be hard not to.” Draggka grinned. “Ya were very happy dat other day when I be going down on you.”

To her immense delight, the archmage flushed bright red, and he was briefly struck dumb. He recovered quickly, however, and quickly closed the gap between them to breathe in her ear:

“Don’t think I’ve forgotten about paying you back, _Draggka_.”The way he purred her name sent shivers down her spine. “I have barely slept a wink, thinking of what you did to me. And what I’m going to do to you when we find some time for ourselves…” A grin grew across his lips, and a darkness swirled into his eyes.

“I’m sure dat we be havin’ some time afta finding dis Pillar to ourselves.” Draggka replied, speeding up her stride to create some distance from him so she could hide her own blush. “Ya just have to be patient.”

“Patient?” Khadgar groaned dramatically. “I’ve been patient for decades!”

“It won’t kill ya to be patient a day or so more.” Draggka said, trying not to laugh at her lover’s childish pouting, and having only marginal success.

They continued up the path towards the Repose, taking a fork into a lush forest. The trees were large and ancient, their trunks so thick even a goblin shredder would think twice about tackling them, with moss creeping around their bases, and ivy hanging from their branches. Their wide boughs caused the sunshine to become dappled as it tried to make its way through the dense leaves, casting gentle shadows about the pair. Large patches of small white flowers reached up to greet the shafts of sunlight, disturbed only when rabbits bounded away from Spike’s hungry gaze, their scent filling the still air. Hippogryphs whistled and squawked not too far away, as well as the shrill mewing calls of a pair of hawks flying overheard were the only things disturbing the peace. 

As they ventured further into the forest, past softly glowing Highborne lamps almost completely choked by leaves and vines, the sounds of a stream became more apparent, and the noises of larger animals, specifically hoofed ones. These were revealed to be animals that looked a lot like horses, only slightly smaller and sleeker, with a serrated horn jutting up from their forehead and long flowing fur over their bodies that was mostly white, but the longer ends with tipped with brown, as was their manes too, seemingly glowing in the sunlight. They stared at the mage, hunter and raptor with their wide dark eyes, before whinnying and galloping off.

“Dis place be beautiful…” Draggka murmured, taking the brief moment to stop and take everything in.

“It is.” Khadgar replied, a wistful smile pulling at his lips as he too took in his surroundings. “Look how large these trees are. They must have been untouched for centuries.”

“Yeah.” She nodded, spotting an owl roosting in one of the branches above them, so still it could be mistaken for a wooden ornament. “Dis be da reason I love doing what I do. Being in dese places, away from everyting, da war, da conflict…jus’ me an’ Spike and da wild…” She trailed off. “I be Horde, an’ I be protecting my friends an’ my tribe from tings dat would hurt us, but…dese places be why I fight for Azeroth.” The troll reached out, running her fingers over the rough bark of a nearby tree. “Dis be my home, as much as da Horde be. Maybe…more so.”

Khadgar hummed softly behind her.

“I understand.” He murmured. “When you see things as beautiful as these, you know you will do everything in your power to protect them.” A pause. “I…I know how to appreciate a good view, and to admire some of nature’s splendours, such as sunrises and sunsets, but I confess that…being here reminds me that I…I haven’t had the chance to see Azeroth in the ways you have.” He chuckled weakly. “As you can imagine, I have been very…preoccupied, these past few years.”

Draggka turned her head to see the mage moving closer, a bashful smile on his face. And…was there a slight pink flush on his cheeks too?

“I wonder if, when we both have time, o-or when we want to get away from it all, that maybe…maybe you could show me some places like this one? Wild, beautiful spaces, away from others, that you’ve found in your travels. T-That is, o-of course, i-if you want to, I-I mean, you probably want a couple to remain secret for your own privacy, a-and’s fine, I don’t mind, I-”

The hunter smiled, silencing his stuttering with a gentle hand on his.

“Ya know, I have been tinking about it,” she said. “Dere not be much I can be givin’ ya, what wit ya knowing so much already, but…I’d love to be sharing of dese places wit ya.” Her smile became shy, and heat rose into her face. “Dey may not be da most…soft of places, but I tink you’d like to see dem anyway.”

Khadgar smiled brightly.

“Yes, I definitely would,” he said, nodding eagerly. “And they would be all the better for you being there.” He stepped closer to her. “Don’t worry about me. Our romp through Tanaan was several months ago now, but I used to do that fairly often during the Second War. And as you can imagine, Outland was even harsher.” A teasing smile flashed over his lips, but there was a glimpse of a grim sadness in his eyes too, as he mentioned Outland. It was gone in seconds, however. 

“By the way, Huntmaster, you have given me a lot of things, other than an opportunity to see wild and untamed parts of Azeroth.” The mage gave her a playfully stern look. “You’ve told me lots of wonderful things about yourself, your people, and the Horde, as well as little things about our world that only a hunter would know. Not to mention the fact you’ve given me your heart, your trust, your compassion - many things I don’t feel I deserve, but I am endlessly grateful for receiving.” His smile now was small and wistful, and Draggka couldn’t help but move even closer to him. “You have given, and are giving me, so much that I can never repay.”

“Da feeling be da same.” Draggka replied, gazing up into his azure eyes. “Sometimes I be wonderin’ what I be doing to deserve ya. Or, if dis all be a dream. Ya give me so much, an’ I feel like I barely be givin’ anyting back. But…I not be losin’ dis. Not ever. I love ya, Khadgar.”

“And I love you too, Draggka.” The archmage breathed, reaching out to cup her cheeks and pull her into a deep kiss that sent all her thoughts fluttering away like a swarm of butterflies.

Indeed, it was like the world seemed to melt away around them, reduced to just each other at that particular moment. It started off as a mere seal for their heartfelt words to one another, but Khadgar lingered in it, unwilling to pull away. And what began as just reluctance to return back to the real world start to morph into something else entirely, as he shifted a hand to the back of her head and the side of her hip, whilst his lips became a little more…insistent against her own.

Dimly, she heard Spke make a snorting sound. She knew the raptor was trying to remind them that Cordana could be on the prowl for them, and that snogging in a forest was probably not the best use of their time. Yet Draggka was finding it very difficult to want to disentangle herself from her amorous lover. Surely a couple of minutes wouldn’t matter, right?

She opened her mouth to the mage, tracing her tongue teasingly over his upper lip to encourage his exploration, an offer he took with relish. Heat arced down her chest as she felt Khadgar respond in kind, pressing his body closer to her, a soft, wanton noise deep in the back of his throat, betraying his true desires. A thrill danced down Draggka’s spine as she imagined the two of them giving into their need right here and now, and she couldn’t deny that a part of her really liked the idea.

And she could feel that a part of Khadgar liked it too.

However, to her relief (and chagrin), the troll became aware of a very insistent pressure barging its way between the pair, and despite the archmage’s efforts to continue their embrace, he eventually had to release her with a small yelp. Spike was the cause, using his nose-horn to get Khadgar to back off, and he glared up at them with disapproving eyes.

“Ya know, ya starting to become a bit of a spoilsport.” She commented, folding her arms.

“Yes.” Khadgar agreed, rubbing his side. “I hate to talk ill of your loyal companion, but he seems to have gone from trying to push us together to doing everything in his power to keep us apart.” The raptor gave him a dirty look and a snort of clear offence, which only made the wizard raise an eyebrow.

“I agree, but I tink he be right dis time.” Draggka said. “Don’t wanna be putting a show on fer Cordana to be taking advantage of.”

Khadgar sighed heavily.

“You’re right, of course.” He closed his eyes for a minute, before he smiled wistfully. “I suppose that is the price for falling in love with such a gorgeous woman. I am completely enthralled with her and am unable to resist her charms.”

Draggka felt her face flare with heat, even as she rolled her eyes at him.

“Flatterer. Anyway, afta dis, we’ll make for each other. Whether de others like it or not.”

“I agree entirely, my dear.” Khadgar’s smile became as bright as his eyes. “Now, I suppose we best hurry on before Stellagosa comes looking for us.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A chapter up in under a couple of weeks?! Sacrilege!

“This does not look good.” Khadgar muttered grimly as they walked into the Repose. “He does not look well.”

The great ancient dragon that had to be Senegos was laying in a large pool of mana water, surrounded by his kin and Stellagosa. He was an immense creature, similar in size to Malygos, with six pairs of horns made entirely of ice on his head (with one on his nose), and thick, dark cream fur down his neck and forming a long beard under his chin and down under his neck, drifting in the pool’s water. His wings were folded against his body, but even from here, Draggka could see the large icicles that had formed on the ends of his wing ‘fingers’, and that the membranes between them were so friable and tattered, it was clear that the dragon would never fly again without magic. The troll had never even considered a dragon could grow so old to lose the ability to fly, and she’d seen the Dragon Aspects. _How old is he?_

Stellagosa had taken her mortal form, which was of a high elf with long sky blue hair, and she glanced anxiously over to them as they approached.

“What is happening here?” Khadgar asked, looking over to Senegos. His eyes were half-open and dull, and every breath he took wheezed with effort. Draggka’s heart panged to see such a great creature reduced to this, and Spike uttered a soft whine in sympathy.

“I don’t know.” Stellagosa said. “He was like this when I got here. I’ve never seen my grandfather like this before.” She hesitated, her long ears dropping. “I...I think he’s...” She trailed off.

“Dying.” The archmage finished, softly. “Senegos is quite possibly the oldest dragon alive, by the looks of him. We cannot simply let him slip away.” He tilted his head a moment, like a bird. Draggka noticed his eyes glaze over for a couple of seconds, as if his gaze had momentarily turned inwards. “There is something not quite right with the magical energy here. Can you feel it too, Stellagosa?”

The elf-dragon glanced away, her long ears shifting back up as she frowned, blue eyes glazing over much the same way Khadgar’s had done.

“It does feel strange.” She agreed. “The power coming from the leylines shouldn’t feel as choppy as this.” Her frown deepened. “They weren’t like this before. Something’s happened to them.”

“I thought so.” Khadgar nodded. “Good to know I’m not going senile, but we’ll have to investigate later. First things first, we must buy your grandfather more time.” He took a deep breath, and the troll felt the air around her twirl and thrill as the arcane was drawn towards the mage, shimmering around his body and concentrated into his hands. Khadgar stretched his hand out then, the arcane rushing from him towards the frail elder dragon in a stream of pure energy. Senegos took a deep breath, and blew out a equally deep sigh, as the magic was drawn into his body. His eyes seemed to brighten, and whilst his breaths were still quite ragged, Draggka could tell that they were coming easier now.

“The leylines are the cause of the potent energies of this place, and probably why Senegos and his brood settled here.” Khadgar explained, answering her unasked questions. “I can use them to channel energy into Senegos to help stabilize him without exhausting myself. But I will still need your help.” He gestured with his spare hand. “Some of the leylines’ power becomes crystallised in rocks close to the surface, and they retain the power even when pulled from the ground. If you could could collect some and throw them into the mana pool, the resulting power should buy Senegos a few more breaths. I spotted some caves over there as we came down the hill; I’d suggest starting there.”

Draggka nodded, her brows drawing together grimly. 

“Dat sounds like a plan. I’ll do dat.”

Senegos groaned then, catching their attention. He tilted his head very slightly towards them, catching them both in his gaze.

“I know why you are here, small ones...” He breathed, voice low and weary. “Please...help...”

Draggka’s ears drooped at the pain in his voice, Khadgar’s silver brows knotting together in sympathy too.

“We be doing everyting we can.” She replied, before hurrying off towards the caves, where a steady stream of whelplings were flying from, mana crystals clutched in their tiny claws. They would drop their cargo into the pool, before wheeling back for more, completely ignoring the troll. 

Draggka followed them into the cave, her fur prickling against her skin as the arcane thickened in the air. She might have only been a hunter with only enough of a grip to enchant her arrows with those energies, but even she could feel the effect of the leylines bleeding into the rocks and air around her. She wondered what it was like for Khadgar. He could clearly sense them, and they were allowing him to keep Senegos alive without draining him, but else was it doing to him? She had noticed there had been a slight spring to his step as they’d gotten closer to the Repose...

Spike’s sudden snarl broke her from her thoughts as crystal worms suddenly burst from the ground around her, their floating crystals glowing brightly, and emitting menacing, unearthly noises. 

“Ugh.” Draggka grimaced, nocking an arrow. “I had enough of these assholes in Deepholm.”

The raptor charged the crystalline creatures, crushing the animate crystals between his jaws whilst his companion smashed the others with her dagger and well-placed arrows, though their rotating ‘teeth’ tore into her armour, causing considerable gashes in the mail.

There was an upside to this attack, however. The crystals the worms were made of were rich in ley energy, and Draggka gathered as much of the large pieces as she could before hurrying back to the pool. As soon as she reached the bank, the troll dumped the whole load into the water, the minerals fizzing brightly as they struck the liquid, dissolving instantly. To her relief, Senegos let out a loud moan of relief, and the dragon shifted his position to a more comfortable one.

“Thank you, both of you.” Stellagosa said as Draggka rejoined her and Khadgar. “Your efforts dull his pain.” She sighed. “Call me a fool. I’d always just thought grandfather would be with us forever...”

“Ya not be a fool.” Draggka murmured softly. “We all tink dat of our family. We tink dey be invincible. It be...we not be so innocent aftawards.” Her ears drooped. “But I can’t imagine what it be like fer you. To be livin’ so long, den to see dis...” A pause. “I be sorry.”

“It’s alright. But thank you.” Stellagosa replied. Draggka felt eyes on her then, and when she glanced over, she noticed Khadgar was watching her thoughtfully. They’d not spoken too deeply of their pasts to one another; neither had pried into the snippets of information the other was given. As much as they could glean from the other was that they’d both had parents, yet now those parents were no more. The troll wondered if and when they’d get the time to discuss such things, if they even wanted to.

Senegos lifted his large head up towards them then, blowing a breath out of his nose that did not sound like a wheeze, more an actual breath.

“You seek...one of the Pillars of Creation.” He spoke, strength returning to his voice.

“Yes.” Khadgar replied with a nod, causing his stream of magic to ‘bounce’ slightly. “We know one is here on Azsuna. Do you know where it is?”

“You speak of the...Tidestone of Golganneth...” His next breath shuddered with pain, and he had to rest his head back down into the pool.

“Rest now, grandfather.” Stellagosa said, rubbing a hand over his massive muzzle. “You must save your energy.”

“Don’t be so eager to mourn, starlight.” Senegos replied, eyes opening to regard her. “Give me this one last adventure.”

As this was happening, Draggka suddenly became aware of Spike headbutting her side insistently. When she looked to him, she saw that a small blue whelpling was perched on his head, bright, golden eyes staring back at the hunter.

The whelpling made a wheezy chirp, jerking its head to the north east before it fluttered off in the same direction. After a brief glance at her companion, Draggka set off after the whelpling, following it towards a large, burly dragonspawn, whose arms were full with small bodies. He barked out something in the guttural, hissing tongue of Draconic, before he caught sight of the troll.

“Hail, hunter.” He spoke in Common, though his accent was thick. “I am Agapanthus. I don’t know why you are here, but we could use your aid.” He lowered his arms to show that the bodies were four whelplings, weak and barely moving, their eyes closed or slightly open. The whelpling from before, hovering nearby, uttered a shrill cry which only echoed the pain that flashed through Draggka’s heart. 

“An onslaught of withered elves have assaulted the whelplands, and though my troops are defending them as best as we can, these four were not so lucky. They are near death, and need to be treated with ley crystal immediately. Their lives are of the utmost importance, as they may be some of the last whelplings Senegos can rear.”

_The last?_ Draggka thought, but didn’t say. This was not the time to ask questions.

“I be Draggka. ‘Course I will help ya.” She nodded. The little whelpling chirped again, jerking its head in the ‘follow me’ gesture. It led the hunter and her raptor to a cave behind Agapanthus, filled with humming crystals and mana wyrms hovering lazily nearby. The troll frowned.

“Dese be different to da ones I be giving to Senegos.” She murmured, watching the whelpling. “What do ya want me to do?”

The whelp fluttered to a crystal, taking it in its paws and giving it a tug, flapping away when one of the wyrms turned and hissed at it. Spike snarled at the wyrm, which flared its head frills menacingly at the raptor, neatly distracting it as the hunter pulled the crystal from the ground. The wyrm didn’t take too kindly to that, however, and launched itself at Draggka, only to get caught in Spike’s jaws and unceremoniously crushed and devoured. The whelpling proceeded to pick out other crystals, which Draggka would then extract, and Spike would munch away at any mana wyrm that attempted to attack them.

Four ley crystals now in tow, she hurried back to Agapanthus, wondering how she’d manage to get the energies into the tiny dragons. She thought back to when she was in Karazhan and Khadgar’s instructions; perhaps that was how to do it. The troll tried it for the first whelpling the dragonspawn offered her; concentrating power into her hand and out to the crystal, then pulling it out and to the whelpling. It seemed to work, as tendrils of whitish blue magic arched out from the crystal into the small creature, and luckily they took over from there, greedily draining the crystal dry. Colour brightened the little one’s sky blue scales and yellow eyes, and it took flight with a thankful chirrup-bark.

The next two whelplings recovered in much the same way, but the fourth did not. There was brightening of colour of its scales, but the whelp merely coughed, wheezing a plaintive mew that pricked tears at Draggka’s eyes. Agapanthus sighed.

“Ahh...I feared we might lose that one,” he said softly. “He was so weak when I found him.” He held the whelp out to Draggka. “Take him to Senegos. I must return to my keepers, before we are overrun.”

The whelpling barely weighed anything as Draggka took him into her arms, and there was no resistance to her handling. Spike’s soft whine described exactly how she felt, and she gathered the little creature close to her chest, hoping maybe her body heat could give it a few more minutes.

“Hold on, little one. Let’s be getting you to ya father,” she murmured, not knowing if the whelp could understand her, but praying it could at least sense the meaning in her words. The hunter moved as quickly as she dared, trying not to jostle the whelp in case she hurt it further.

Senegos seemed to sense that something was wrong, and he lifted his head with more speed than Draggka expected in his current state, causing Khadgar and Stellagosa to jump and follow his gaze.

“Another Nightfallen attack?” Senegos said, his blue eyes settling on the bundle in Draggka’s arms, and his thick eyebrows furrowing. “Bring my child to me, young one.”

As Draggka came closer, Khadgar’s expression contorted with pain, closing his eyes as if warding off tears, and Stellagosa covered her mouth with her hands, uttering a soft :

“Oh no. Not again.”

The hunter tenderly lifted the frail whelpling up to Senegos, the dragon nuzzling the small creature with great care, despite his size. The whelp opened its eyes to meet its father’s, and it rattled out a soft, plaintive wheeze. In that moment, Draggka felt the life fade from the whelpling’s body. She bit her lip almost hard enough to draw blood to hold back the tears that stung at her eyes, watching a blurry Senegos close his eyes and utter a deep, mournful rumble that seemed to quieten the entire Repose. Both Khadgar and Stellagosa glanced down in respect, though the mage pinched his eyes with his spare hand, trying to suppress his own tears.

“Cedonu.” Senegos spoke, his eyes opening once more; they were older, full of sorrow.

A dragonspawn walked over to them, looking up at their patron from under their helmet.

“Yes, Senegos?”

“Please lay my child to rest with the others.” 

Draggka’s heart panged painfully, her ears drooping as she wiped her tears away. _How many has he lost?_

“Of course.” Cedonu bowed his head, taking the whelpling from the troll’s hands and walking off with the body cradled in their arms. She wondered idly where the dragonspawn was going. She knew the dragons flew to the Dragonblight to die, but what of the whelplings, who couldn’t survive such a journey? Was there a way to take them there? She shook her head to dismiss the thought.

“Of course those withered devils would attack now.” Senegos hissed, shifting in his pool angrily, but still too weak to show much more of his displeasure. “They couldn’t have chosen a more effective time to strike. My brood already suffers.” He sighed a long sigh, calming himself. “Stellagosa.” He tilted his head towards the elf. “Do me one last favour. Your younger brothers and sisters need your help. Go to Agapanthus. Help him.”

Stellagosa nodded, wiping away her own tears.

“Of course.” She hesitated a moment, before she threw her arms around Senegos’ huge muzzle, resting her head against it. “Farewell, grandfather.” She pulled away and quickly ran off, not looking back even as she shifted back into her drake form.

“See you soon, starlight.” Senegos murmured after her.

A brief silence settled, in which Draggka and Khadgar exchanged looks, unsure what to say next, if anything. Draggka decided to venture first.

“I...Senegos, I be sorry dat I couldn’t-” She began.

“It was not your fault.” The dragon interrupted her. “My child was beyond help if a ley crystal could not have roused him.” He shifted his head in Khadgar’s direction, as if sensing the mage opening his mouth to interject. “You are already doing enough to keep me alive. Do not take that burden on yourself either.”

Another long sigh, and Senegos addressed them both.

“There is no denying it. We need help. Since the fall of Deathwing, we dragons have lost nearly all of our power. To make matters worse, we can no longer bear eggs. My whelplings are the last of the last.”

Draggka’s ears dropped as far as they could go, and she met Khadgar’s equally alarmed look. Agapanthus had spoke the truth then; she just couldn’t believe it, didn’t want to believe it. That the dragons, once keepers of the many forces of Azeroth, creatures that she both feared and admired, and had won the trust of in Northrend...that they were essentially dying. One day they would be gone, only memories and bones remaining. The thought made her feel empty, and somewhat sick.

Khadgar himself looked paler than before, and completely flabbergasted.

“I...We didn’t know. Kalec, he...I know the blue dragonflight had disbanded, but he never said anything about this...” The mage spoke, sounding as empty as the hunter felt. Spike nuzzled into her hand for comfort, grounding her in the now.

“He would not have known at first.” Senegos explained. “At first, the odd egg wouldn’t hatch. Unfortunate, but not unusual. Then our clutches became smaller. And now there are no eggs at all. As you can imagine, we still have enemies, and so we are not likely to advertise it to others. Not even our friends.”

“Then why tell us?” Khadgar asked.

“Stellagosa told me that you saved her from the Burning Legion when she went to investigate their new...nest on the islands. And you are giving your power to keep me alive, and help my children. I would say you have earned our trust.” Another sigh. “Please, help defend my whelplands, and I will tell you everything I know of the Tidestone.”

“Indeed.” Khadgar nodded. “Whilst I am a little indisposed, Draggka can go in my stead, yes?" He smiled at her, eyes sparkling with magic and fondness. “I doubt she’d need my help anyway.”

Spike made a soft huffing snort, looking up at Draggka earnestly, and reminding her of their plan earlier.

“Are ya sure, Khadgar? Remember dat Cordana might still be huntin’ us...”

“I know.” The mage nodded. “But it’s a risk we must take. Besides, you have Spike. You will be just fine.” He smiled down at the raptor, who would have preened, had he real feathers that weren’t decorations he’d collected. 

“Okay.” Draggka nodded. “Jus’, keep an eye out fer her.” She felt the need to reach out to Khadgar, but she stopped herself, not knowing whether to reveal their relationship to Senegos. 

A smile pulled at the lips of the great dragon for the first time that day.

“You are kind small things,” he said. “Thank you. Whilst you are in the Repose, my brood will protect you from any and all that would harm you. This, I promise.” He turned his head. “Follow Stellagosa, up the road to the east. It will lead you to the whelplings. Please, help my flight as best as you can.”

“I will, I promise you dat.” Draggka holding her fist to her chest to swear it. “An’ tank you fer protecting Khadgar. I see ya later, Archmage.”

“Of course.” The wizard nodded, smiling. “Good hunting, and come back to us soon.”

Draggka bowed her head to them.

“Lok’tar.”

And with that, she turned and jogged out of the Repose.

* * *

 

Khadgar watched as Draggka left, trying not to let the inner doubts about his decision show up on his face. Any other time, he would have been certain that being under the protection of dragons would guarantee his safety.

But now, knowing that they were now unable to bear young and that Cordana was hunting him, empowered by the Legion, doubts started to creep in. 

He remembered the times the Garona from the alternate Draenor had attempted to assassinate him with startling clarity. The first time he'd had warning, but the second time...the second time he’d only survived because Draggka had managed to chase the half-orc down in time and get him the antidote.

Cordana knew this, of course. Though they had not been close, she’d seen how Khadgar had protected himself from the first attempt by sealing himself in a thick block of ice. She’d seen that he could be caught off guard and almost killed. She’d seen how Draggka had fought, and that Spike’s vigilance could be circumvented.

That and she was a Warden too. She was truly a prize for the Legion, a horribly deadly threat to its enemies, and Khadgar was sure Maiev knew that when they had quarrelled. She blamed him for both exposing her bladesister to darkness, and also for handing the Legion a potent weapon. She needn’t have pressed the point; he still nursed the guilt now, despite his lover’s gentle assurances.

And now he worried that he’d painted a great big target on Draggka’s back. She was the Huntmaster of the Unseen Path and a champion of considerable rank, so she was already on the Legion’s naughty list, but if she was associated with him? 

Khadgar chewed his lip. Cordana had been very private, and it was difficult to gauge her emotions through her helmet, so he’d never been able to tell if she’d had an inkling of his and Draggka’s budding relationship. The mage didn’t think so, as they’d never behaved as anything more than friends in front of her (the memory of her walking in just as he was going to confess his feelings for the troll still ruffled him even now), but...

“You are troubled.” Senegos’s deep, tired voice snapped the wizard from his thoughts.

“Oh, it’s nothing much.” Khadgar said, concentrating back on the magic he was funnelling into the dragon. “A lot of things on my mind, as you can understand.”

Senegos turned his head very slightly, one large blue eye meeting Khadgar’s. Though he was old and fatigued, the darkness in the dragon’s pupil seemed to threaten to swallow the archmage whole, and for the first time in quite a long time, Khadgar felt very young, and very inexperienced.

“I don’t know much about the affairs of small, mortal creatures such as yourselves, but I know a few things.” An exhale from Senegos’s nose tousled Khadgar’s hair. “You are close to the huntress. You worry about her.”

The young-old mage glanced down at his feet. There was no use denying it when it was so blatantly laid out in front of him.

“I...Yes.” He nodded. “We, we’re lovers. I care for her very deeply. And I promised her, earlier, that we would stay together, and face our challenges as a pair.” He sighed. “And yet, here I am. Sending her off again on her own. I don’t doubt her capabilities, but we are being hunted. By something - someone - who is sworn to the Legion, and incredibly dangerous. I fear I have left her alone to walk into the lion’s den.”

“And I have sent my granddaughter into such a place as well.” Senegos replied, shifting again. As his gaze briefly moved away, Khadgar felt he could breathe again. “It is a decision we wish we would never have to make. But it is what needs to be done.” He looked back to the mage. “I sensed you were close. More than mere companions on your travels, but I did not guess you were more than that.”

“It’s not something we wish to advertise.” Khadgar said quietly. “Trolls and humans share a bitter hatred, and the Alliance and Horde have only deepened it. At best, our bond would not be understood. At worst, I fear she would be cast out, or even hunted down for her attachment to me. So we keep our love a secret. Until a better time.”

The dragon made a deep humming noise (though it was more a rumble), and brief silence settled between the two.

“Your secrets are safe with us.” Senegos spoke. “And so are you. I may not be as strong as I once was, but whilst you are in my Repose, we will allow no harm to come to you.” The dragon’s eye seemed to unfocus, as if his gaze had shifted somewhere Khadgar could not follow. “And your companion too, if we are there to aid her. I am sorry we cannot offer more.”

A wry smile pulled at Khadgar’s lips.

“No, I understand. Thank you for trying, though. At least she has her raptor to protect her. She’s...more at an advantage than I am, at least.”

“She...” A pause. “You have brought me hope.” Senegos said quietly.

“Hope...?”

“Whatever happens to me...I feel that my whelps now have a chance to see another sunrise, because of the both of you.” A blink, and Senegos refocused on the archmage. “I feel certain she will help us.”

The smile across Khadgar’s face broadened, and he felt a spark of pride warm his chest.

“Yes, she will,” he said. “Draggka’s word is her bond, and if she has given her word to help you, you can be certain she will do everything in her power to do so. It is something I have experienced personally numerous times. And she is very, very good at coming out of difficult tasks alive.” 

The dragon shifted his head more towards the wizard, interest gleaming in his eyes.

“We will be here a little while, and you sound like you have stories to tell about your companion.”

Khadgar noticed a whelpling flutter down beside him, as if wanting to listen in, bright golden eyes gleaming up at him. If its patriarch was not clinging to life and its other siblings weren’t relaying mana crystals to keep him there, Khadgar would have found the scene amusing.

“Well, I don’t really know too much about Draggka, but I met her in person first several months ago in the Blasted Lands...”


	4. Chapter 4

The situation at the Whelplands was grim. On the road towards the area were the occasional bodies of whelps that had tried to flee or seek refuge but had perished, lying by the stone path like broken toys. Spike nudged the first two with his muzzle, trying to stir them, but he whined when he realized they already gone. Later he didn’t even bother to inspect them, knowing that they had arrived too late.

The sight broke Draggka’s heart and quickened her pace, curdling a blood-thirst to slaughter whoever would attack such young, defenceless creatures.

They found Agapanthus and his contingent of drakonids and dragonspawn holed up in a cluster of elven ruins, sheltering whelplings and fighting off what appeared to be withered elves. She also found Senegos, or at least a projection of him; its appearance made her do a double take, especially to see the great dragon standing tall, and looking much more spry than when she last left him.

“Don’t you worry, small one.” He spoke, voice strong and echoing due to the magic. “I am still in my pool. It doesn’t take much energy to throw a projection of myself here and there.” Said projection lifted its chin proudly, great white beard rippling as it did. “I may be old and dying, but I am _still_ a blue dragon.”

Agapanthus was grateful to see Draggka had come, and quickly gave the troll some orders: to scavenge the mana crystals growing around the Whelplands to revive as many whelps as possible, and to kill any Withered that got in her way, as well as any that attacked her, looked at her funny; just generally as many as she had arrows for. The dragonspawn also privately asked her to find Stellagosa; she had a habit of jumping right into the fray, and he worried that she may have bitten off more than she could chew. A part of Draggka warned her that the drake’s absence could be a trap set by Cordana; after all, she’d caught the dragon before, and she and the troll had been linked together. Still, the hunter swallowed down her apprehension and agreed to look for her.

The withered elves were very aggressive, and if they noticed the hunter, they’d stagger towards her, spindly arms outstretched and with the tell-tale ‘grasp’ as they tried to feast on the kernel of arcane power she had, or her very lifeforce. Their emaciated bodies were little defence, however, so a well-placed arrow felled them easily, and Spike snapped them like dry twigs with one leaping bite.

Both hunter and raptor took great pleasure from killing the creatures, especially the ones that feasted on the whelps; they were so enraptured by their kills that it only took an arrow into the back of their neck to end them before they even realized what was happening. It also helped save the whelplings that had been attacked, although they were too late for a few. Those that were rescued, however, thrilled their thanks and quickly fluttered off to safety, though Draggka watched them go to make sure they weren’t ambushed on their way.

They found Stellagosa further into the Whelplands, weakly fending off a pack of withered. Spike didn’t even wait for Draggka’s word, barrelling into them with a roar, talons flashing as they tore into purple flesh and bone. The hunter took out the remainder, and any elves that looked like they were going to join the fight. A part of her felt a little pity for the creatures driven mad by hunger, thinking of her friend Cayeli, but the rest of her felt nothing but contempt. They were as mindless as the Scourge now, and would be treated as such; nothing more than a threat to be dealt with.

Stellagosa thanked Draggka for her second rescue, but warned her of a particular withered elf that was stronger, and seemed to have more of his mind than the rest; he’d been the one to attack and drain her, leaving her for the others to finish off. She’d seen him run into the cave further down the path, and urged Draggka to put him down before he did any more damage.

The troll agreed, hurrying in that direction and taking out any withered along the way. It was an unpleasant journey, however; the whelps she found now were either too weak to be revived, or already dead. Her heart cried out in pain to see them; she felt she should at least bury them, to grant them some dignity in death, but there were too many, and the danger of that lone Withered was too great, as was the ever present threat of Cordana. A cave would be a perfect ambush, with only one entrance...Draggka pushed the thought aside and carried on.

More bodies of drained whelps littered both the mouth of the cave and inside it, enough for dread to sink into her stomach. She’d seen at least a dozen of Senegos’s lifeless offspring, if not more...Had any of those she’d saved been enough? The hunter forged that dread into conviction, and stepped into the opening, nocking an arrow to her bow.

The withered elf had clearly made this cave his home, if the tattered pelt on the floor that he was curled up on was any indication, resting in a fitful sleep. He was as thin as all the others, but whilst the others had been stooped over, moving in savage, animalistic yet almost zombie-like ways, this one slept as Draggka would expect an elf would. His skin was a dark greyish purple, with ornate tattoos carved into his skin that looked hollow, as if they would be filled with something - magic? His hair was white and long, and still somewhat clean and cared for, indicating that he did indeed hold more intelligence than his withered cohorts. The troll still couldn’t work out what kind of elf he and the others were, though. Their colour and ears made her think of the night elves, but she’d encountered enough of them to know that none of them 'withered’ like the blood elves did, and these bore a striking similarity to the Wretched. _I wonder if Khadgar knows about them..._ She mused.

The elf stirred then, and Spike tensed; she had to act now. Draggka raised her bow and pulled the arrow back, aiming to get his neck and kill him instantly with one shot.

Either the elf heard the bow creak at full draw, or he was more awake than he looked, but as she loosed the arrow, he jerked away, the arrow burying itself into the pelt under him. He turned angry purple eyes on her, and the troll noted that he was considerably more elf than his mana zombie peers, just from the clarity within them.

“What do you think you’re doing?” He demanded, accent smooth but very foreign. “Don’t you know who I am?”

“Ya be da one who killed dose whelps.” Draggka replied coldly, reaching for another arrow. “I be dere revenge.”

“You are beginning to anger me!” The elf cried, before he suddenly screamed. “I’ll kill you! I’ll drink the mana from your broken bones!”

He lashed out in what felt like an instant, the magical drain grasping at Draggka’s very being with a hunger that caught her off guard. She swore loudly, fumbling for her blunt arrows - the only way to interrupt such an ability non-magically, but the sensation suddenly shifted from grasping for something else. She glanced down in confusion to see energy streaking out from her pockets - _The ley crystal, of course! It must still have some energy left from reviving the whelps!  
_

Spike roared furiously as Draggka was assaulted, and charged directly at the elf, teeth bared. Said elf seemed to realize his mistake as several kilograms of angry scaled death leapt at him, knocking him flat to the ground and breaking his drain on the crystal. The raptor opened his jaws wide, going to bite the elf’s face off, when he managed to grasp the beast’s jaws, just managing to stop his imminent death.

“Wait wait wait!” He cried, spindly arms trembling with the effort to hold the snarling raptor back, wincing at the smell of his hot breath. “I surrender! Please, please call your friend off!”

Draggka frowned, nocking another arrow to Thas’dorah and drawing closer.

“Why should I do dat?” She asked flatly. Spike didn’t continue to push, but his fierce visage was enough to remind the elf of his intentions.

“Please forgive me, my friend. The hunger pangs from feeding on such raw energy...it clouds my judgement. I fear if not for the mana crystal you carry, I may have done something I regret. I am truly, truly sorry.” He glanced up at her as she got closer.

 _Put an arrow in this miserable wretch and end him,_ sneered her bloodthirst. _He sucked the life out of the whelps, he deserves to die._

 _To kill a person who has surrendered is dishonourable._ The rest of her said calmly. _We must give him the chance to atone first. Did Khadgar not give **you** the benefit of the doubt?_

Draggka scowled for a moment before she spoke.

“Let him up, Spike,” she said in Zandali. The raptor glanced back at her as if confused. “Let him go for now. But keep an eye on him.”

Spike snorted, glaring at the elf, but he stepped off his chest. Switching back to Common, Draggka said:

“Alright, I be letting ya go dis time. But if ya betray me, I let him kill ya. Understood?” She nodded to Spike, who seemed to be waiting for a chance to strike at any moment. Not that she blamed him.

“Oh yes, yes of course,” he said hurriedly, scrambling to his feet, “I wouldn’t dream of betraying you. Not with such a fierce companion at your side.” He smiled at Spike, who growled menacingly in response, curling his lips. “I hope you can see beyond my tattered robes and desperate behaviour. I am not a monster.”

Draggka looked down at the whelpling corpses, and back to the elf.

“Ah, yes.” The elf wrapped his arms around himself. “The fruits of my desperation. I am not proud of them. But watch. I can prove that I can move beyond such despicable ways. I am not some mana-addled freak, like the rest of those wretches.”

She scowled, the two sides of her warring with each other once again, but honour won the bout once more.

“Alright. I be givin’ ya a chance to prove yaself, but if any harm be coming to da dragons, I _will_ kill ya,” she said.

“I quite understand.” The elf nodded. “Just...could I have the remains of that mana crystal? Just to keep me going.”

The troll handed it over, watching him drain it quickly and his eyes brighten, some of the lines around his gaunt face easing. Curiosity stirred within her; what kind of an elf was he, and how had he come to be as addicted to magic as the high and blood elves were? Her dislike of him silenced her tongue, however. He’d killed the young, and the young of dragons at that. He was not to be befriended.

When they arrived back at Agapanthus’s camp, the drakonids were immediately on guard, pointing their sharp polearms inches from the withered elf’s face.

“He be with me.” Draggka said casually. “He says he be wishing to help, so I be giving him a chance to make good.” She looked them in the eyes. “If he tries anyting, I will kill him in a heartbeat.”

They were understandably reluctant, but they snorted and let them through, Senegos’s projection appearing in front of them moments later.

“Who is this?” Senegos asked, eyes boring into the spindly elf next to the hunter.

“I am Runas, son of Indarril, formerly of Suramar.” The elf said, bowing politely, the raptor directly behind him growling. “Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

Senegos’s muzzle twisted with distaste, an almost perfect mirror of Spike’s expression.

“Nightfallen.” He growled. “I do not trust you and your kind.”

“I understand, good dragon.” Runas replied. “My people have earned your distrust. Allow me to make amends.”

“We will see.” The dragon said coldly. “You are lucky that my strength is not as it used to be.”

Runas looked thoughtful.

“Pardon me for any offence, but your dragon says he is not as strong as he used to be? I know why. Runas can fix that, my friend,” he said, looking to Draggka. She wanted to retort otherwise, her fur prickling uncomfortably, but the hunter kept quiet for now.

“One of my kind, Ael’Yith, pulls ley energy from the very ground of Azsuna. I can take you to the location of his mana siphons. It’s not too late to undo the harm the others have done. You’ve done well to trust me.”

Draggka and Senegos exchanged a look.

“Those monsters are pulling directly from the ground. That explains why not even my mana pools can dull my pain.” He murmured. “I don’t trust him, but without the power of leylines, we are nothing.”

The hunter looked the emaciated elf over again, wariness still prickling over her skin.

“Alright, Runas. We believe ya. Show us da way.”

True to his word, he did, only stopping momentarily to drain another mana crystal of its energy. His mouth, however, didn’t stop, something that Draggka couldn’t decide was the effect of withdrawal, or just his usual self. It did remind her of Khadgar, though.

He lead them to place Senegos knew as the Ley Ruins of Zarkhenar; a large collection of ancient Highborne buildings, most ruined, but one still intact, surrounded by huge glowing fissures with crystals sprouting from them, which had to be leylines running close to the surface.

And full of the mana-hungry so-called Nightfallen.

Runas did not react very well to so much raw mana emanating from the ground, and begged Draggka to go down and find as many mana jewels or crystals as she could, so he could keep focused and find a solution to take down the large mana pylons that Draggka could see wedged into the glowing blueish purple cracks. Senegos asked her to run amok whilst she was down there, destroying as many smaller siphons as she could, and kill any Nightfallen that dared stop her. The troll was more than happy to oblige.

One Nightfallen in particular was not happy about her meddling, and he yelled at her from the tower of the intact Highborne building for trying to steal ‘his’ mana, hurling arcane bolts at her from above. They were fairly easy avoid if she kept on the move, and Spike would occasionally distract the blowhard into casting spells the wrong way. Draggka was sure he was the Ael’Yith Runas had referred to, and silently contented herself with the knowledge that one of her arrows would permanently silence his crowing. That or Spike would. Eventually.

When she returned, Runas gorged himself on the mana crystals, whilst Senegos spoke to her, his voice stronger, and his projection more solid and clear.

“Thank you, Draggka,” he said. “Those siphons almost did me in.”

“Ya feel better now?” She asked.

“Yes. I no longer need your friend’s assistance, but he insists on helping me recover.” The projection tilted his head slightly, as if looking at something Draggka couldn’t see. She chuckled softly.

“Dat sounds like him. He be a stubborn kodo, but don’t let him drain himself. He might be needing it later.”

She thought the old dragon smiled.

“There is little danger of that here. He does not draw much from the leyline.” Senegos’s face hardened, and he turned his gaze back to the ruins. “I sense the draw now, in the tallest building of the ruins. One of those cretins must have tapped deep into the leyline, and be drawing from it that way.”

“I tink dat be da Ael’Yith Runas mentioned. He been hollering at me an’ throwing arcane bolts at me whilst I were busy.”

The troll swore that the dragon was smirking now.

“Maybe it’s time you paid him a visit,” he said softly.

“I agree.” Runas said suddenly from Draggka’s side, making her jump. He smiled. “Thank you for those crystals, my friend. I knew I could count on you.”

“Ya figure out how we can be taking down dose pylons?” She asked. “I not be having da stuff needed to make anything dat explodes. Dat an’ dey zap me when I get too close.”

“The pylons only react against ground targets, yet they’re defenceless to anything that attacks from above.” Runas explained. “If you send your whelplings against them, they can fly close enough to them to destroy them.”

“Runas...” Draggka began, seeing Senegos’s eyes narrow.

“Trust me.” The elf said. “They are too small for Ael’Yith to hit from above. They will be able to do it.”

The dragon’s nostrils flared, and his lips curled into a snarl.

“I still do not trust Nightfallen, but it seems we have little choice.” He snorted with frustration. “I will call the whelplings. But if you deceive me, prepare to face the wrath of a dragonflight.”

“I was once a noble elf, good dragon.” Runas said, bowing his head. “I know the meaning of honour.”

“Even so, I will entrust them to you, Draggka. Send them back as soon as the pylons are destroyed.” Senegos said.

In a couple of seconds, a flock of blue whelplings appeared, fluttering around the projection of their patriarch, before they began to circle Draggka, chattering nosily and hissing and spitting crossly at Runas. To his credit, the Nightfallen stepped back away from them, clasping his hands together.

“I...I think it would be better if I stay here,” he said softly. “Good luck, my friend.”

“I’ll look afta dem.” Draggka nodded to Senegos.

“See as you do.” The dragon huffed. The gruff tone prickled her fur, but she couldn’t blame his annoyance, when his brood was so precious and so fragile.

The hunter returned to the ruins, cloud of whelplings in tow, most flying just behind her, though some settled onto Spike’s back, chirruping excitedly as they rode their ‘steed’ onwards. Spike seemed charmed by the little whelps, playfully nipping at them as they dive-bombed at his head mischievously. Draggka chuckled at the sight, and despite the current situation, she wished Khadgar was by her side to see it too.

Ael’Yith lobbed insults and arcane bolts as soon as he saw the troll again, and the whelps’ chattering turned deadly serious, focusing on keeping close to her and Spike. When Draggka reached the first pylon, staying just out of range of its safeguards, she gestured to the whelps hovering around her.

They rose in a cloud of scaley bodies, diving down on top of the pylon, shooting blasts of ice from their mouths, and ripping and tearing anything they could with their claws. After a couple of moments, the pylon gave a loud groan, crack tearing across its surface from top to bottom, before the mana it was holding blew it apart, the backlash of energy rippling Draggka’s fur and exciting the whelplings, their eyes flashing with arcane magic and battle-lust.

Ael’Yith was apoplectic.

The hunter had long since tuned out his screaming habdabs, moving quickly to avoid his magical missiles and guiding the whelps in the direction of the other pylons. They were only too happy to oblige, and Draggka watched proudly as they destroyed the structures that were their guardian’s bane. She had a feeling they’d like to rip Ael’Yith apart too, but the troll had promised to keep them safe, and she wouldn’t risk them in the confrontation.

They were reluctant to leave her, but they did eventually, offering wheezy whelp barks and nuzzles to her or Spike before they returned to the Repose.

Ael’Yith was sequestered in his tower alone, copious amounts of crystals jutting out of the walls and floor in evidence of the leyline he was drawing from. He was a lot healthier looking than the other elves outside, and dressed so regally it made Draggka ill just looking at him.

“Did that dragon send you, interloper?” He spat. “Or was it that beggar Runas?”

“Neither.” Draggka replied, nocking an arrow as Spike crouched low. “I came to shut ya up fer a few seconds.”

“How dare you speak to Azsuna’s new prince in such a way!” He cried. “I will make you kneel, peasant!”

Spike gave a roar and charged, only to be swiftly blasted away by magic, whilst Draggka unleashed a rain of arrows against him. Most slammed uselessly into the arcane shield Ael’Yith had conjured, but one or two got through, including a blunt-headed arrow straight to the elf’s throat, interrupting one of his casts against her.

“You’ll pay for this, savage!” Ael’Yith snarled. “You rats aren’t fit to touch the hem of my robe!”

“Bold of ya to assume I want to do anyting else but kill ya.” Draggka muttered, smirking as his distraction allowed her raptor to leap upon him, shattering the shield and tearing gashes down his back.

“Argh!” Ael’Yith launched his attacker back with an explosion of arcane energy. “Enough of this! If we cannot use the leylines in peace, then we will feast on the dragons instead!”

“No!” Draggka let fly with as many arrows as she could, but Ale’Yith disappeared in a flash of magic, her missiles either flying out of the nearby window or breaking as they struck the stone walls. Spike’s jaws also snapped at thin air. “No no no...!”

The troll scrambled to her feet, heart and mind racing. there was no way she could outrun a teleporting mage, and with no way to signal across long distances, Senegos had literally no warning that he and his brood were in danger from a mad elf and his ‘army’ of withered heading straight for-

_Khadgar._

Draggka stumbled onto the tower’s balcony, just as Stellagosa flew over.

“Draggka, grandfather said you might need-” She began before the hunter cut him off.

“Ael’Yith escaped! He be goin’ to da Repose wit de others to drain Senegos!” 

The drake’s golden eyes widened, her wings almost missing a beat in her shock.

“What?! Then there’s no time to lose!” She grasped the railings of the balcony, perching in an truly ungainly manner just long enough for Draggka to jump onto her back before she took flight again, scooping Spike up in her paws. The raptor made a whining noise, signalling his uncertainty at this arrangement, but he did not resist. Probably because he didn’t want to be dropped.

The hunter flattened herself against Stellagosa’s back in a desperate bid to speed her wings, yet she watched the ground below swarm with withered elves, all heading to one place...

“It’s not too late.” The dragon spoke. “We’ll jump the mountains to cut them off. Hold tight!”

Draggka wrapped her arms tightly around Stellagosa’s neck as her powerful wing-beats thrust them higher into the sky. There was no sensation like it, and experiencing it upon a dragon’s back was second to none. She was honoured every time a dragon allowed her to travel on their backs, and a part of her savoured it now, even though other worries occupied her thoughts.

“No, no...They’re everywhere!” Stellagosa cried, Draggka’s eyes popping open to glimpse the withered swarming down the path to the Repose. Her heart leapt straight into her throat as she desperately scanned the crowd for her mage, praying to her loa to keep him safe.

“Khadgar!” She cried, torn between holding onto the dragon’s back, and leaping down to carve a bloody path through the withered to find him.

“We’re too late...” Stellagosa murmured. “I’m s-”

Her head suddenly snapped to the side, just as there was an immense explosion of arcane energy, sending the limp bodies of elves flying, clearing a brief opening to reveal the origin point.

“I see him!” Stellagosa gasped. “Hang on, I’m going in low.”

“Throw Spike!” Draggka urged as the withered started to close in again, arms outstretched to grasp at the mage. “He buy us da time we need!”

“Are you sure?” The drake glanced back at the hunter, but Spike roared an affirmative, gnashing his teeth eagerly. “Okay, here goes!”

She cautiously hurled Spike down onto the withered advancing down on the archmage, the raptor letting out a blood-thirsty shriek as he literally fell upon his first victim.

With her front feet free, Stellagosa gave her own roar, spitting balls of ice at the ones going for Khadgar’s back, and pouncing upon those she missed, sweeping her tail around to clear a space for them all. From her perch, Draggka loosed arrows upon the others, felling them like swathes of wheat under a rainstorm.

With this attack, they seemed to have cleared a small space of protection away from the withered; a few stragglers were easily picked off, whilst the bulk of the group were either already in the Repose, or appeared to retain enough sense not bother them any further.

For the moment, that was moot; Draggka leapt off Stellagosa’s back and almost straight onto Khadgar, throwing her arms tightly around him.

“Spirits, I’m so glad ya be okay! I thought I lost ya...” She had to forcibly hold back the tears that threatened to leak out of her eyes, swallowing down the sudden rush of emotion.

“It was a close run thing.” Khadgar murmured, wrapping his own arms around her. “If you hadn’t have shown up when you did, I fear I might have been overrun completely.”

“I’m sorry, I woulda warned ya if I could-”

“I know you would.” He replied, gently squeezing her.

It took a moment for Draggka to realize that she was hugging Khadgar a little longer than would be expected for a casual friend, and she sensed that there were many eyes on her. She pulled back to notice a small flock of whelplings around them, watching curiously and some chittering with what sounded like amusement. Others were hovering around Stellagosa as she rumbled to them in Draconic and checked them over.

Khadgar blushed slightly as the the hunter looked back to him.

“Ah, well, I might have told Senegos and the little ones about our...partnership,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “He’d already worked out that we were more than friends, and I didn’t see a reason not to tell him the full story. When the withered began to attack, Senegos told me to take as many of his whelps as I could to safety.” Khadgar sighed softy, shoulders sagging. “I...I think I lost a few.”

“Ya did ya best.” Draggka said, squeezing his hands.

“You both have,” Stellagosa said. “But this many withered threaten to wipe out our brood completely. If you can find some ley crystals when you go to grandfather, please use them to heal the others. I will stay here and protect these whelplings.”

“Are you sure?” Khadgar asked. “If any more come down the slope, you’ll be overrun, and we won’t be able to help you.”

“We’ve taken out a good many of their number. If any more start arriving, I’ll take them to safety in the mountains.” Stellagosa replied. “Please don’t worry about me. My grandfather needs you more.”

“Alright.” The archmage nodded. “Then let’s not waste any more time.” He gripped Atiesh tightly, turning towards the Repose.

“Ya coming wit?” Draggka asked, raising her eyebrows.

“Of course!” He flashed her a brilliant smile. “I recall a promise I made to a certain troll about fighting by her side. And I have every intention of keeping it.”

She couldn’t help the grin that slowly grew across her lips, nor the little skip her heart made. But the anxiety was still there.

“Are ya sure? Dey eat magic, so you be a prime target for dem.”

“Maybe, but they would have to get close to me first.” A flicker of magic danced around his fingers. “Not to mention that this time I will have a charming huntress-”

“Hunter.”

“-hunter, and a fearsome raptor backing me up.” The wizard smiled. “I think I will be just fine.”

“Alright. But stay close. I don’t want to be losing ya.” Draggka said as they started down the hill.

“Don’t worry, my dear, the feeling is mutual.”

They made quite the team as they pushed into the Repose. It helped that the withered elves were not very smart, and as soon as they sensed Khadgar, their only notion was to get to him as directly as possible. Often straight into a fireball, arrow, or jaws of a raptor. Spike acted as their vanguard in case any tried to outflank them, and Draggka and Khadgar proceeded to pick the withered off at leisure, the hunter collecting up her arrows as she went. It was just like being back on Draenor, feeling the arcane twist and flex around her as Khadgar cast his spells, its thrum almost comforting and lulling her into a battle-trance.

The Repose itself was as to be expected; a messy battleground of dragon and withered elf, some holding their own, whilst others were collapsed on the ground, chests heaving rapidly or otherwise laying still in a way that chilled the bones.

Senegos himself was fighting valiantly, a complete opposite from when Draggka had last seen him in the flesh. Great sweeps of his massive tail and giant paws sent withered flying into broken heaps, though they continued to swarm over him like ants.

“He appears to holding his own rather well.” Khadgar commented. “Come, we should see to the less fortunate.”

They managed to find some big ley crystals by the mana wurm cave, uprooting them with little trouble (the wurms were too busy mobbing the elves that had blundered in their home), and then proceeded to attend to the stricken dragons.

Most were thankfully clinging into life when they found them, Draggka and Spike standing guard as Khadgar used the ley crystal to revive them. The drakes gasped out their thanks before taking wing to get away from the throng of withered, some hurling down bolts of ice at them in pure displeasure. The archmage did revive a whelp that looked vaguely familiar, and it let out a wheezy bark as it fluttered back into the air, eyeing them both with bright, intelligent eyes before it flew off, Spike watching it go intently.

A couple of dragonspawn and drakonids had been downed by the mana-hungry elves, and they attended to them as well, Spike savagely ripping into one elf that was leaning over a dragonspawn, ready to suck the life out of them.

“Thank you, both of you.” The dragonspawn Draggka recognised as Cedonu said as he climbed to his feet. “Senegos was wise to trust you.”

“It be our honour to help.” She replied, Khadgar nodding in agreement.

“We’re all grateful for your aid.” Cedonu said, before he frowned. “I must join the others, but as I fell, I saw one of the Nightfallen slinking into the larger caves.”

“The withered are ruled by their need to feed on magical energy,” Khadgar murmured, his silver brows furrowing, “they have no reason to go into the caves when you are all out here.”

“Dat sounds like Ael’Yith, dere ‘leader’.” Draggka said, Spike uttering a low growl in response to the name. “We better go an’ take him out before anyting bad happens.”

“Agreed.” Khadgar nodded grimly, and they set off at a brisk pace to the caves Draggka had once ventured inside to help keep Senegos alive, ready for confrontation.

As they entered, they heard a soft voice off to their left.

“Hello? Is that you, my friend?”

Following it around the corner revealed an emaciated Nightfallen standing in a smaller version of Senegos’s pool; more a puddle, in honesty. The elf was trembling badly, hands scratching at his skin as he coughed violently.

Draggka’s fur prickled as Khadgar readied himself for a fireball.

“Wait, Khadgar!” She cried, clasping his hand. “I know dis one! Dis be Runas, he be helping me to save Senegos in da Whelplands!”

The wizard stopped his cast, but his expression was stony and unconvinced.

“Really? But they’ve been hunting the dragons for their magical energy.”

“Yeah, but he be making amends fer what he’s done. I trust him, Khadgar. Let me at least be talkin’ to him.”

His expression didn’t shift, yet he dropped his hand to his side.

“Alright. I hope you know what you’re doing,” he said, though not unkindly. Draggka wanted to point out that if he could give the Horde (and by extension, her) another chance after all the things they’d done, then he needed to give Runas that same courtesy, but she sensed that there was no time for a debate.

“I be here, Runas. It’s me.” She jogged over to the elf, feeling Khadgar’s stare boring into them. “What are ya doing here?”

It took a moment for the Nightfallen to focus on her, his purple eyes dull and hazy.

“I...I came to warn you. Ael’Yith...He, he has a construct...” A violent coughing fit wracked his body. “He’s, he’s waiting to strike...when least expected.”

“The withered are being used as cannon fodder.” Khadgar murmured. “We need to stop this Ael’Yith before he gets to Senegos.”

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t...have come sooner.” Runas spoke softly, a large shudder gripping his entire body. “I am weak, my friend. The hunger is devastating...consuming my very mind. It is taking every ounce of my energy to just...just...” Another coughing fits, his fingers clawing deep into his skin, leaving ugly furrows behind them.

“I be here, Runas.” Draggka looked back at Khadgar anxiously. “Da ley crystals, Khadgar!”

The mage shook his head, showing her the dull stone.

“Cedonu took the last it had,” he said softly. “Draggka, I think-”

“C...Can you hear me, my friend?” Runas spoke, pulling the hunter’s attention back to him. “I...I cannot see you any more.”

“I still be here.” A hard lump was forming in her throat that she could not clear. Spike whined softly.

“I think...perhaps it is time to say goodbye, then.” Runas looked in the direction of her voice, but his eyes were unfocused, looking through her. His skin was paler than she’d ever see it, and he looked so frail he reminded her of...of...

“Khadgar...” Draggka’s voice was heavy, with the tears burning fiercely at her eyes.

“It’s too late,” he said quietly. “I’m sorry.”

“Thank you, Draggka.” Runas croaked. “For letting my last few hours...mean...something...”

And then he was gone. Runas’s eyes glassed over, his posture slumping into that of a full withered, jaw hanging loose along with his arms, finger knuckles scraping the water’s surface. Despite her pain, the troll readied herself for Runas to launch himself at her, but he didn’t. He just stood, head lolling limply to the side, before he lurched mindlessly away, ignoring them completely.

“Runas?” Draggka called uncertainly, feeling Khadgar come to her side and thread his arm around her shoulder.

“He’s gone, darling. I’m sorry.” Spike whined again, resting his head against her legs.

“But why he be...?”

“I think...” Khadgar’s eyes flicked over the scene. “I think the mana pool is sustaining him enough not to frenzy and actively hunt for magic. If he stays within it, he will be harmless. Mindless, but harmless.”

Draggka swallowed hard. She found it hard to believe that she’d formed a bond with Runas so quickly, but the pain in her heart, the tears rolling down her cheeks, and the tight lump in her throat were all very real.

“I can’t leave him like dis,” she said.

Khadgar blinked at her, brows furrowing.

“Dearest, we can’t bring him back. Once you succumb to the addiction of the arcane, your mind is lost forever. And if what he says is true, we don’t have long until Ael’Yith shows up with his construct.”

“I know, but...” She shallowed hard. “I can’t leave him like dis. He be deserving better den to be trapped like dis, and fer da dragons to be finding an’ killing him later.”

Draggka took her hunting knife from its sheath, approaching the withered Runas. Spike was at her side, watching carefully, ready to defend her if need be. Runas was almost docile, compliant as Draggka took hold of his head, lifting his chin just enough to bare his thin neck. She felt her hand resist at first, but she managed to lay the blade to his neck, feeling his heart pulse underneath it. The hunter prayed that she hadn’t seen a glimmer of recognition in those dull purple eyes as she drew the blade across, slitting open every vessel she knew was there as her vision blurred with the new tears flowing down her cheeks.

Runas choked softly, his hands grasping at her briefly, but the tide of blood was unstoppable, incapacitating him in seconds. As his feet gave way, Draggka held him tightly, gently, reverently laying him down into the pool, and watching the light leave his eyes.

“I be sorry, Runas.” She managed thickly. “I hope ya find peace from ya hunger, wherever ya be goin’. May ya gods being keeping ya safe.” With a hand that trembled, she closed his eyes.

Draggka just stood for a moment, staring at the body floating in the mana pool, slowly turning its sparkling pink surface red. Spike nuzzled his body against her in comfort, before she felt Khadgar move behind her, encircling her with his arms. She turned into him, choking out a loud sob, grasping at his robe to ground her. He held her tighter, pressing a kiss to her head, and allowed her to mourn her lost friend.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this took so long; life really had it in for me this time! But it's here now, so I hope you enjoy it!

Draggka took a deep, steadying breath after a minute or so, sniffing loudly and managing to finally swallow away the lump in her throat.

“We...we gotta go. We taken up enough time already,” she said, reluctantly pulling out of Khadgar’s embrace.

“Yes.” He nodded, stepping away. “It’s gotten a lot quieter since we got here, and I’m fairly sure that’s not a good sign.”

A good sign it was not; as the two plus raptor left the cave, they were greeted with the sight Runas had warned them of. A giant, faceless, centaur-like construct held Senegos down in his pool, whilst a figure that had to be Ael’Yith perched on its back, visibly siphoning magic from the stricken dragon.

“Yes, yes!” Ael’Yith laughed maniacally. “Surrender your power, dragon. These pools belong to the Nightborne now!”

Spike snarled viciously, and Draggka quickly nocked an arrow, but Khadgar raised his hands, faint motes of magic starting to gather around them.

“If you don’t mind, love, I’d like to have some words with this ‘Nightborne’.” His words were soft, yet laced with threat, a knife slick with poison. “Some very choice words.”

A savage grin spread across her lips.

“Of course, but leave some for us.”

A similar grin pulled at the mage’s lips for a second before he began to cast, hands moving in quick, precise motions that looked to the troll very much like someone pulling loose threads out of a tunic. He chanted something softly under his breath, the foreign words coming so quickly Draggka was slightly concerned that he’d make a mistake.

A loud squealing noise suddenly sounded out, the sound of metal being twisted and warped, and the construct jerked as if it were a puppet whose string had been yanked too hard. Ael’Yith yelped, his channelled drain breaking as he struggled to stay upright. Senegos gave gasp as he was released, collapsing into his pool and panting hard, great sides heaving violently.

“What is the meaning of this?!” The elven mage cried, before he managed to catch sight of them, his eyes narrowing to slits. “You.”

The hunter’s response was arrows, but he raised a shield to absorb them. “You rats aren’t fit to touch the hem of my robes! Orbyth, destroy them!”

The construct’s monocular gaze swung over to them, and it lurched away from Senegos, but its movement was awkward, as Khadgar’s spell had bent some of its metallic parts out of shape, and the surging magic that connected them together was no longer flowing smoothly.

“Using a construct to do your dirty work?” Khadgar called, already gesturing for another cast. “Why? Is your magic not up to scratch? A shame, I was looking forward to meeting my match here.”

The construct’s plating gave a terrible grinding noise, before the arcane energies around and within it suddenly detonated, breaking their containment and blowing the back end of its lower body clean off. Draggka’s arrows smashed Orbyth’s singular eye, and the construct heaved to the side, only just able to keep upright, its rider only just able to stay standing.

A roar from above heralded an attack by Stellagosa and the other drakes, swooping down to harass Ael’Yith, or unleash blasts of ice against Orbyth, the construct unable to defend itself in such a state.

“No!” The Nightborne cried. “You will bow to me!” He reached out to drain mana from an attacking drake.

“I don’t think so!” The archmage boomed, his quick hand motions resulting in a cry from Ael’Yith, his hand going to the healing wounds Spike had inflicted hours before. “Leave them alone, Ael’Yith! You’ve done them enough harm already. Or can you not stand up to an archmage’s skill?”

“I will not be slandered by lowborn scum!” Ael’Yith Blinked to them in a flash of magic, and it was only Khadgar’s own Blink and Draggka’s Disengage that allowed them to dodge the sudden arcane explosion as he reappeared.

“By da Loa, shut up!” The troll snapped, loosing more arrows the elf’s way, only to have them glance off or be absorbed by the arcane shield.

“He appears to be quite the broken record.” Khadgar agreed. “Let me see about that shield, darling. I see he’s been introduced to Spike’s talons recently. Another meeting couldn’t go amiss, I think.”

The raptor gave a particularly bloodthirsty scream of agreement, making the hunter grin.

“By all means, Archmage,” she said, moving away from Khadgar and nocking an arrow to her bow.

Khadgar began another incantation, one hand tracing complex patterns as the other formed wards, shielding him from the arcane missiles Ael’Yith was throwing at him. Although the Nightborne’s barrier protected him from Draggka’s arrows, the hunter had other ways of harassing him.

After a quick rummage through her pack, she found a small metallic contraption, with the tiny cyan blue crystal held within. Draggka sized up the distance between the two magi as she armed the mechanism, before she hurled it to land just in front of Ael’Yith’s feet. The contraption fell open like a bear trap, the two metal ‘jaws’ exposing the now faintly glowing crystal. Although it was small, it was obvious to any observer that it was a trap, and should be avoided.

Yet Ael’Yith was so focused on Khadgar, he took no notice of where he was putting his feet, not even when he stood on one of the metal jaws, activating the crystal. It burst brightly, coating the ground below in a sheet of ice, including the trap, and the danger was only revealed when the Nightborne tried to take another step.

He gave a loud cry as he fought for balance, breaking his concentration and giving Khadgar precious seconds of uninterrupted casting. 

“Watch ya feet, _princeling_.” Draggka drawled. “Be a shame if ya were to be breaking ya neck.”

“I’ve had just about enough of you, savage!” Ael’Yith hissed, fire gathering around his hands. “Go back to your trees, and BURN!”

The troll didn’t waste time in dodging to the side, the large ball of flames singeing the tips of her hair braids as it passed. Spike barked a warning as Ael’Yith pulled back for another-

And suddenly his shield ruptured, bursting like a bubble. He hesitated, eyes widening.

“What? My shield...”

“First rule of defensive magic.” Khadgar spoke, his voice holding a lecturer’s boom and the edge of a razor. “‘No shield is impenetrable, and no ward cannot be undone. All it takes is time’.”

For the first time, Draggka glimpsed fear in Ael’Yith’s eyes, and she couldn’t help but find a delicious pleasure in it. She took a newly created arrow from her quiver, nocking it to her bowstring, and waited for her moment.

The fear quickly vanished, however, as the elf tried to cling to his brash arrogance.

“This, this isn’t over” He cried, lifting his arm, glowing with power. “I will back to take what is mi-”

Whatever spell he was casting was promptly interrupted by the blood-curdling roar of an irate raptor as it leapt towards him, bringing his vicious talons to bear. Ael’Yith only just managed to shield himself from the talons and teeth, but in doing so, left his flank wide open. It was an invitation that Draggka took, arrows thudding into his side, one snapping as it hit a rib.

“No, actually, it is.” Khadgar replied coldly, advancing towards the elf as he struggled with Spike, the elf only just fending off the vicious, snapping teeth. “You’ve run out of withered to use against us, your construct is being destroyed,” a loud crash sounded out behind him as said construct collapsed into a heap, covered in ice and roaring dragons, “sorry, has _been_ destroyed, and your blood is rapidly running out. It is over for you.”

Ael’Yith gave a furious cry, launching Spike off him with a blast of energy, grabbing at his arrow-pierced side. 

“No...no...I cannot be beaten by, by lowborn scum. I am Ael’Yith! P-Prince of the Nightborne!” The elf choked out, backing away from the advancing archmage, hunter, and raptor. “We...we are destined to rule...”

“You’re destined to fall over if you don’t look behind you.” Khadgar said.

Of course, his advice was ignored, and Ael’Yith yelped as he tripped, tumbling backward into the mana pool.

The same mana pool an extremely angry Senegos was standing in.

Senegos snarled deeply, baring his teeth as the elf fought his way to the surface and to try and get away from the dragon bearing down on him. He gave a cry as the dragon pinned his feet down with a paw, scrambling desperately at the ground to try and escape. Draggka almost pitied him.

“You will harm my brood no longer.” Senegos growled, before he brought his other paw down on Ael’Yith’s head.

* * *

 

Ael’Yith’s death marked the end of the withered’s assault. The few that remained appeared to become even more disorganised than before, apparently becoming aware of their current danger and trying to flee, only to be picked off by furious drakes and dragonkin.

It took a moment for everyone to digest the fact that it was over, the realization only really hitting home when Senegos let out a deep, booming laugh, throwing his head back and beating his torn wings.

“Ha ha ha haaa! I haven’t felt this alive in years!” The dragon cried, his voice strong and forceful. It was as if he’d never been ill in the first place, and the others of his brood gathered around mage, hunter and raptor. “Thank you, small ones. What you’ve done - not only to replenish my mana pools, but also save my brood - will not be forgotten. The blues of Azsuna are ever in your debt.”

With that, the great dragon bowed his head to them, and to Draggka’s surprise, all the others did too. The mixed emotions of embarrassment, honour and pride bubbled up through the hunter, and it was all she could do to stumble out;

“Y-Ya be more den welcome. We, ya needed help, we couldn’t just be leaving ya in trouble. It, it wouldn’t be right.”

“In times such as these, we need to stand together, and help one another whenever we can.” Khadgar thankfully took over, sweeping himself into an elegant bow that Draggka awkwardly copied. “We are honoured to help your brood, Senegos.”

“And we are honoured to have your assistance.” Senegos replied, curling his tail around his body as he sat. “Now, I might be getting a little old, but I recall you were looking for the Tidestone?”

“Yes, we are.” Khadgar nodded. “What do you know of-”

A loud growl interrupted him, and the mage blinked, looking over at his companion. Draggka smiled weakly, flushing purple.

“Sorry, I don’t mean to interrupt, but it be a while since my last meal, and I be able to listen a lot better if I be havin’ some food in me,” she said, Spike rumbling his own agreement. “Where be the best hunting grounds?”

“After all that, you’re going to hunt?” Khadgar asked incredulously. “No, no, there’s no need to put yourself out like that. I can conjure food for us here, you don’t need to tire yourself out further.”

“I appreciate de offer, but mage-food don’t be very filling for me.” The hunter replied. “I be needing to hunt, either now or later.”

“Why don’t I help you?” Stellagosa asked as she came up to them, followed by a flock of whelplings. “You can tell me what you want me to hunt, and I can use my magic to bring down prey, and my wings to bring it and you back. Would that help?”

Draggka considered a moment. It had already been a long day, what with encountering the Legion and Cordana, and then everything to do with the withered and Runas (her heart panged at the thought of her dead friend). Although she found magic-hunted meat to be a bit less tasteful as traditionally hunted meat, she figured she could encourage Stellagosa to hunt with her talons and not her ice breath. The troll would be a fool to pass up on her assistance.

“Sure, tank you. Dat would be helpful.” She glanced to Khadgar. “Do ya tink ya can be having a fire ready for us when we be getting back?” She asked, with a grin.

“I think I can handle a campfire, Huntmaster.” The archmage grinned back, flames dancing playfully around his fingertips. “Good hunting, the both of you.”

A good hunting it was, with Stellagosa, Draggka and Spike bringing down several bears in the nearby lowlands with ease. The drake brought the hunter back with plenty of meat to feed her and the mage (Spike had eaten his fill of the offal whilst the troll had been butchering her prey), whilst Stellagosa had one of the larger carcasses to feed her fellows.

Khadgar had indeed made a fire in her absence, and he watched with interest as Draggka cooked the best cuts of meat, giving the worse bits to Spike and the small group of whelplings that had gathered around him for scraps. The meal wasn’t anything special, but the mage didn’t seem to mind, watching her work and flashing her warm, admiring smiles that made her heart flutter and heat rush into her face.

Senegos had settled back down into his pool, surrounded by his children fluttering around him, letting them settle on his back, or play around his folded, tattered wings. The other dragonkin were similarly relaxed, even when they were nursing wounds from the previous battle. If not for the withered corpses that were being moved away and the blood stains in the grass and dispersing in the mana pool, there was little to no hint of the strife that had been occurring before this very moment.

“Sorry dat dis be so bland.” Draggka said as she finished up her meal. “Next time I be taking some more time to find other tings dat not be just meat to eat.”

“It’s fine, Draggka.” Khadgar smiled. “I have eaten a fair amount of Alliance army rations in my time. Freshly cooked meat, even without seasoning, far exceeds those things.” He tilted his head thoughtfully. “I wonder if they have improved since then.”

“I dunno, but da Iron Horde rations I be scavenging back on Draenor probably be similar.” The troll remarked, reaching out to stroke Spike’s head, the raptor leaning into the petting. “Not sure I be understanding what bland taste like ‘til I ate dem.”

“I think that must just be par for the course, then.” The mage chuckled. When she just stared blankly at him, he elaborated: “Blandness seems to be normal for army rations, then. Sorry, I forget that some idioms are...specific to humans.”

“You humans be so weird sometimes.” The hunter replied, smiling around her tusks. “Ya gotta be explaining some of dose to me some day.”

“I shall, my dear.” He smiled, reaching a hand over to take one of hers, squeezing it gently. “Anyway, thank you for cooking. You didn’t have to do that.”

“No, but I prefer to if I can.” Draggka replied. “Maybe another time I can be trying out ya mana strudels.” She grinned at him.

“I look forward to it.” Khadgar grinned back, before leaning over to whisper; “After all, you’ve already tasted one.”

Draggka blinked in confusion at him again, before the copper piece finally dropped, and her face flooded with searing heat.

“Khadgar!” She spluttered. “Dere, dere be whelplings here!”

“Not all whelplings are equivalent to the children of our races, Huntmaster.” Khagdar replied, infuriatingly composed as if he’d merely mentioned the state of the weather. “Besides, I am nothing if not discrete.” 

Spike snorted.

“Hmm.” The hunter hummed, their last time together in Frostwall popping back into her mind’s eye. That had only been discrete due to the fact that the garrison was mostly empty at that time. A full guard would have almost certainly caught them in the act. 

That and their almost tryst in the forest several hours ago. _No, I don’t think you and discrete go together, Archmage._

Yet this tease seemed to have been forgotten by the wizard, as he turned his attention back to the great dragon lounging in front of them.

“Senegos.” Khadgar spoke, the dragon turning his large head back to them. “Now we have some peace, what can you tell us of the Tidestone of Golganneth?”

“It is, as you know, a Pillar of Creation.” Senegos began, shifting in his mana pool and disturbing some of the whelps settled on him. “It was shattered long ago.”

Mage and hunter’s eyes widened, and they looked at each other in disbelief.

“A Pillar of Creation? Shattered?” The archmage breathed. “How?”

“I do not know.” Senegos admitted, bushy eyebrows drawing together. “But I know where the pieces may lie.” He looked out of the Repose. “The Tidestone was kept by the ghostly elves of the great city of Nar’thalas, but it was destroyed an eon ago. Its ruler, Prince Farondis, fell with it. If anyone knows where the fragments lie now, it will be his spirit. Seek out his people amongst the ruins to the south of this place.”

“The ruins...” Khadgar murmured. “They must have been the ones we saw when we were flying in. I did not realize they were still inhabited by the ghosts of the Highborne. They looked abandoned.”

“Yeah.” Draggka nodded, before she sighed. “Agh. I cannot imagine what it be like to wander de land for dat long, unable to cross to da Other Side.” Spike rested his head in her lap reassuringly, his rumble vibrating through her legs. “What coulda happened for dem to all be stuck dere...?”

“The Sundering could have played a role.” Khadgar said. “Didn’t you find a sect of Highborne isolated within Dire Maul, driven to imprison a void terror through a desperate need for magic and to protect themselves from the incoming disaster?” Draggka nodded slowly, frowning thoughtfully.

“Nar’thalas fell not long before the Sundering.” Senegos said. “I do not know how, but the Prince and his people are doomed to live as spirits forever more.”

“Sounds like dey be tamperin’ wit da Tidestone, and it be punishing dem.” The troll mused. “And wit a name like dat, it not be surprising da naga be wanting to be getting dere hands on it.”

“All the more reason why they shouldn’t.” Khadgar nodded, before he glanced up at the sky. “I think that is a mission best suited for tomorrow morning, however. It is getting late.”

Draggka followed his gaze. The clouds above them were now tinged with various shades of pink and yellow as the sun sunk low in the sky, the pale shadow of the Blue Child just able to be glimpsed through one cloud bank. The day had moved a lot quicker than the hunter had imagined, but it had been one full of hectic activity, what with the Legion, withered elves...she could feel the fatigue tugging at her body now, settling into her knees and shoulders. Spirits knew how Khadgar was feeling, what with his magic use.

“Ya right. We should be setting up camp for da night.” She nodded. “Senegos, may we be staying da night at da Repose? Staying wit ya brood be safer den out on da road.”

“You are very welcome to stay with my brood, small ones.” The dragon replied. “Although we cannot offer you anything but the caves as shelter.”

“Oh no, dat be fine enough.” She looked to Khadgar. “Right?”

“Yes, that will be fine.” The mage nodded. “Thank you for your hospitality, Senegos.”

“For helping to save us, it is the least we can do.”

“We’ll make sure the ley wyrms and gyreworms don’t bother you during the night.” Stellagosa said, coming up to them. “The crystal worms are usually docile, but with grandfather ill and the ley lines disturbed, they got out of control. It’s nothing we can’t handle.”

“And da ley wyrms?”

“So long as you don’t damage their crystals, they get used to you quickly.” Stellagosa replied. 

Draggka glanced to Spike, who bared his teeth in a greedy smile.

“I’ll...take ya word wit dat,” she said. _Well, Spike’ll eat well if they don’t leave us alone._ “If ya don’t mind, I prefer to be taking da ley wyrm cave,” she glanced at Khadgar, “if, that be okay wit you?”

The archmage’s eyes held a gentle look of concern, but his smile was sweet.

“No, that will be fine. I trust your judgement.” 

It was only when they were walking over to the caves did he murmur: “Runas?”

“Yeah.” Draggka nodded, keeping her voice low so the dragons wouldn’t hear. “I...I don’t know if I could be sleeping very easy in da cave where I be killin’ him.”

“I can understand that.” Khadgar replied, and the tone of his voice gave Draggka an inkling of why he’d never returned to Karazhan before recently. He reached out for her hand, squeezing it gently when she gave it to him.

The wyrms were less than thrilled by their presence, but when they realized that the pair were not after their crystals, and that they were guarded by a fierce raptor, the creatures left them alone to set up ‘camp’. 

The light from the crystals, plants and mana puddles cast everything in an eternal glow, but it didn’t bother the hunter. During the Cataclysm, she had slept in Deepholm’s timeless depths, and had learned to filter out the constant light. At least she had very good company this time.

“I must admit, I did not expect to find myself sleeping among a dragonflight when we took flight from Dalaran.” Khadgar said as he meticulously stripped off his leather armour and cloak/mantle. “I should have expected a few surprises travelling with you.”

“Me? Pretty sure all dis nonsense be caused by you.” Draggka replied with a grin, unrolling her sleeping mat on a patch of clear flat ground. “Ya attract it, like some trouble lure.”

“Mmhmm?” The mage hummed, raising an eyebrow. “I have heard similar stories about you too, you know. Tales of danger and daring, and a certain troll huntress being in the middle of it all.” He stepped towards her, a slight sway to his hips.

Draggka’s eyebrow arched up as well, ignoring Spike’s derisive snort.

“Oh? Surely ya know ya can’t be trusting everyting ya hear,” she said, resting a hand on her hip.

“No, but you also know that some stories are grounded on a kernel of truth.” Khadgar replied, a smile playing on his lips that she knew well. “After all, it must be the reason I’m so attracted to you.”

The troll rolled her eyes, unable to stop her own smile.

“I had a feeling you be saying someting like dat,” she said, going to strip her own armour off. “How ya gonna be sleeping tonight, Khadgar? Ya didn’t bring anyting dat looked like camping stuff.”

“Portals, darling.” Khadgar replied, pulling a small one open and reaching into it with one arm. “It helps that we are so close to the ley lines, otherwise I would have to teleport back to my quarters to collect my bedding. I don’t need as much of my energy to support portals, allowing me to make smaller, more specialised ones such as this.”

Draggka tilted her head to the side, setting her equipment neatly next to his.

“Wait, I remember ya sayin’ dat Karazhan be built on ley lines, which be why ya had trouble wit ya portals dere. Why is it different here?”

“An excellent observation.” Khadgar flashed her a smile as he gingerly extracted a bedroll from his shimmering portal. “Karazhan is an anomaly due to the fact it has multiple forces acting within it, including the sheer power granted by the ley line nexus. These conflicts make it unstable, and thus portals cannot easily be maintained with it. Too large a portal could in theory rip the tower apart, though I would not like to think of the consequences of such a disaster.” The mage paused for a moment, his eyes far-away in thought, before he shuddered.

It was a brief pause, as he briskly followed this up with an answer to Draggka’s unspoken question, unrolling the bedding next to hers.

“I didn’t know how long we would be gone for, but I didn’t think we would be gone long enough to require a pack horse. Therefore, I left everything back in my quarters. Within easy reach, of course. That, and I _am_ getting on a bit. Long campaign tramps are starting to get a bit beyond me now.”

“Tink ya can still keep up, old man?” Draggka teased, giggling when the archmage shot her a withering glare.

“I’m not as decrepit as I look, _Huntmaster_.” He replied primly. “I do believe I kept up with you in our previous engagement.”

“And on Draenor.” The hunter nodded. “I be glad. I like having ya at my side.”

“And I you.” Khadgar smiled, before glancing down at their paired sleeping arrangement, lingering on her sleeping mat. “Are you sure you don’t want something to cover you whilst you sleep? I don’t want you to get cold...”

“Trolls just be needing a mat to sleep on, sometimes not even dat.” Draggka said, sitting down on hers and smoothing it out. “I do be having a blanket for colder places, but I don’t tink I be needing it here.” She glanced to Spike as the raptor settled down next to her. “I always got Spike if need be.” She blinked, and stuttered: “A-And you too, of course.”

Khadgar chuckled good-naturedly.

“I don’t doubt your companion’s warmth and comfort, and I don’t mean to intrude upon his duties,” he said, sitting beside the troll to take off his boots, revealing bright socks that looked like faerie dragon had exploded all over them. “But, if you wish, there’s room enough for you too in my bedroll. I’m sure I can be just as warming and a comfort to you. Though, I do lack a fearsome set of teeth and claws.” He grinned at the raptor, who would have preened had he feathers. Instead, Spike merely rumbled loudly, basking in the attention.

Draggka chuckled at this, and opened her mouth to tell Khadgar that she didn’t mind sleeping on her mat, but then she recalled the morning when she woke in Khadgar’s arms after their first night together. She remembered how warm he was, and how soft his body had been, and the security she’d felt in his arms, and she suddenly realized how much her body ached to feel it again. She longed to just be intimate with him, to hold and be held by him. What kind of fool would she be to deny herself this?

“Actually...I think I be taking you up on dat offer.” Draggka said, smiling shyly. “If, ya don’t mind.”

“As if I would mind sharing with you.” He replied, his smile wide, warm and so loving she felt her heart do a somersault in her chest. “It would be an honour.”

“You be flattering me,” she said, going back to stripping down to her undershirt and trousers to hide the blush growing over her face.

“Is it flattering if it’s true?” The mage asked, dressing down to just his robes, the material flowing around him as his leather armour and belt were removed.

Draggka rolled her eyes, sighing.

“Ya be hard work sometimes.”

“I do my best, dearest.” Khadgar chuckled, flashing her a playful grin. 

The bedroll was just big enough to accommodate both hunter and archmage, but it did require them to snuggle close together. Luckily, this was not an issue for either of them. It was only marginally more comfortable than Draggka’s sleeping mat, though it did have a pillow. Yet when Khadgar wrapped his arms around her and tucked her in close to his body, none of the downsides really mattered.

“Are you alright like this?” He asked, lifting his head to look her in the eyes, concern written all over his face. 

“Yeah, dis be fine.” Draggka nodded. Spike sat down on the mostly abandoned sleeping mat, curling his body around himself, staying alert for any enemies that got past the dragons now gathering in the cave to sleep too. “You be warm.”

“Good. I wouldn’t want you to get cold.” Khadgar nuzzled her gently. “I know you're sensitive to it still.”

“Yeah.” She couldn’t help but smile at the thoughtfulness, her heart missing a beat. “Tank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He kissed her cheek. “Love you.”

“Love you too.” She squeezed one of his hands in respond, not wanting to twist around awkwardly to return the gesture properly. “Ya know, I could be gettin’ used to dis. Sleeping beside you.”

“As could I. I rather enjoy having you in my arms,” he said, squeezing her gently. “And...waking up beside you.”

“Yeah.” Draggka smiled, turning her head to touch his. “I’d be happy wit dat for da rest of my days.”

“Mmmm.” He nuzzled her tenderly. “So would I. I just hope that in future, we can do all of this in the comfort of our own bed.”

“Dat seems so strange to me. _Our_ bed.”

“Don’t worry, darling, it still sounds strange to me too. But it’s a very welcome thought.” Khadgar said. “Anyway, we should get some rest. I don’t know what magic would be keeping the spirits of the Highborne trapped here, nor whether said magic still remains.” He gently ran his fingers through her hair, watching it flow through his fingers. “Also we must not forget that they are Highborne, and might not be aware of the various changes Azeroth has undergone since their time. To them I would be merely a child playing at magic, but they would take a very dim view of a troll...”

“Yeah.” Draggka nodded, keeping her movement slight so not to jostle the mage. “I bet dat dey might be a bit cranky too, what wit not being unable to be crossing to da Other Side in so long. Dey might not be takin’ kindly to da living at all.”

“Agreed. We will need to tread carefully, and keep our heads clear. Therefore, rest.” Khadgar said, pressing a kiss to her cheek. “Good night, Draggka. Sweet dreams.”

“G’night, Khadgar.” Draggka replied, twisting to kiss him too. “May ya dreams be restful too.”

They snuggled close together, and with a raptor looking on, they soon fell fast asleep. Spike glanced around the cave to check that the various dragonkin were guarding the entrance. Satisfied, he uttered a soft rumble, and curled up to sleep as well.


End file.
